Science Fact Finder | Chemistry and Physics - Does Water Running Down A Drain Rotate In A Different Direction In The Northern And Southern Hemispheres?

Does water running down a drain rotate in a different direction in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres?

Water that drains from a perfectly symmetrical (all sides are the same) bathtub, basin, or toilet bowl, swirls counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. This is due to the Coriolis effect (the apparent curvature of winds and water due to the rotation of the Earth about its axis). Some scientists, however, believe that the Coriolis effect does not apply to small bodies of water. Directly on the equator, where there is no Coriolis effect, water would theoretically not swirl at all but would run straight down the drain.

Sources: Burnam, Tom. The Dictionary of Misinformation, p. 27; Flatow, Ira. Rainbows, Curve Balls, and Other Wonders of the Natural World Explained, pp. 151-53; Schweighauser, Charles A. Astronomy from A to Z, p....

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