Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > March 2004 > 2004.03.01 > 09Prev  Next


Carousel Rotation & Whirlpools
By Harald Mueller

Re: Coriolis force and the bathtub myth.  Please read:

  * http://www.ems.psu.edu/~fraser/Bad/BadCoriolis.html
for a qualitative argumentation.  This also explains how you could
show the trick to your friends (and then, e.g., claim that the equator
actually goes through your house!).

  + http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/astronomy/24987
for the approximate size of the force (which, incidentally, is
_still_ wrong, or rather, incomplete: The formula does not take into
consideration the angle of the "horizontal" water surface to the
earth's rotation axis, i.e., a factor of sin(latitude) is missing.

Thus, for all places except the north and south pole, the forces are
even smaller, and they are zero on and somewhere in the vicinity of
the equator.  (Also in the vicinity?  Yes: Remember that the earth
is _not_ a sphere, hence all very small forces tend to be perturbed
"randomly" -- and that means also cancellation -- in quite large areas
near the equator.  Maybe we should try to compute this... when I have
an afternoon of time...!)

Many other links debunking the myth can be found on the internet.

Regards
Harald M. Mueller


(Message sent Mon 1 Mar 2004, 12:02:59 GMT, from time zone GMT+0100.)

Key Words in Subject:  Carousel, Rotation, Whirlpools

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page