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Coriolis Effect is a pattern of deflection of the path of an object that moves within a rotating coordinate system. It is mostly preferred by objects which are not firmly connected to the ground as they travel long distances around Earth.
- It is a phenomenon that affects the movement of objects in the atmosphere and oceans.
- Coriolis Effect is caused by the rotation of the Earth.
- Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis, a French engineer-mathematician described the Coriolis effect in 1835.
- Coriolis Effect is the reason for large-scale weather patterns.
Key Terms: Coriolis Effect, Coriolis Force, Frame of Reference, Deflection, Motion, Rotation, Earth, Coordinate System
What is Coriolis Effect?
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Coriolis Effect is an apparent deflection of the path of an object that moves within a rotating coordinate system. The object does not actually deviate from its path, however, it appears the same because of the motion of the coordinate system.
- Coriolis Effect is an effect caused by the rotating motion of the earth.
- The effect occurs when an object moving along a straight path is viewed from a non-fixed frame of reference.
- The moving frame of reference is the planet Earth which rotates at a particular speed.
- Therefore, when an object moving in a straight path is viewed from Earth, it appears to lose its path because of Earth’s rotation.
Coriolis Effect
What is Coriolis Force?
Coriolis Force is defined as the invisible force that appears to deflect objects. It is determined by the rate of rotation and mass of the object.
What Causes Coriolis Effect?
- The reason for the Coriolis Effect lies in the planet Earth’s rotation.
- The earth spins or rotates faster at the equator than at the poles.
- Earth being broader at the equator, the equatorial region rotates nearly 1,600 kmph.
- On the other hand, the earth rotates at a rate of 0.00008 kmph at the poles.
Demonstration of Coriolis Effect
Coriolis Effect generates wind and water patterns near the surface of the Earth, which goes towards the east, the equator, and to the west toward the poles. These wind patterns are the reason for moving clouds across the globe and create weather patterns in various regions.
Demonstration of Coriolis Effect
Characteristics of Coriolis Effect
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The characteristics of the Coriolis effect can be described as follows:
- Coriolis force is a hypothetical force that arises from the earth’s rotation.
- Coriolis effect works on moving objects like wind, flying objects, ballistic objects, and flying birds.
- As the Coriolis effect deflects the wind direction from the anticipated course, it only influences the wind direction and not the wind speed.
- Wind speed affects the Coriolis force’s magnitude. The deflection increases with increasing wind speed.
- In the poles, the Coriolis effect is greatest, while at the equator, it is nil.
- Coriolis force always exerts its effects perpendicular to the axis of the moving object.
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Impact of Coriolis Effect
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The impact of the Coriolis Effect can be understood with the help of the given phenomenon:
On Airplanes and Human Activity
Coriolis Effect affects fast-moving weather-affected objects like rockets and airplanes. The predominant wind direction is largely determined by the Coriolis Effect.
- Therefore, a pilot must consider the Coriolis effect when planning routes for long-distance flying.
- Military snipers take the Coriolis effect into account.
- Although the Earth’s rotation has a negligible impact on the trajectory of bullets, sniper targeting is so accurate that even a deflection of a few centimeters could do harm to innocent civilians or infrastructure.
On Ocean Current
The continuous, directed, and predictable movement of seawater is known as an ocean current.
- The flow of wind across ocean waters is what propels ocean currents.
- Coriolis effect has a significant impact on the currents’ direction.
- Coriolis effect produces the spiraling pattern in the warm, high-pressure regions known as gyres, where many of the ocean’s largest currents flow.
On Weather Pattern
The impact of the Coriolis Effect can be seen in the evolution of weather patterns like cyclones and trade winds.
- Fluids from high-pressure systems pass low-pressure systems to their right in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Air masses are deflected as they are drawn into cyclones from all sides, giving the storm system, a hurricane, the appearance of rotating counterclockwise.
On Other Planets
Coriolis Effect on other planets can be explained as follows:
- When compared to other planets, the Earth rotates somewhat slowly.
- Coriolis effect cannot be observed at slow speeds across small distances, such as when water drains from a bathtub, due to the Earth's slow rotation.
- Jupiter, on the other hand, has the quickest spin in the solar system.
- On Jupiter, the Coriolis effect actually changes the direction of north-south winds into east-west winds, some of which can reach speeds of about 610 kilometers per hour (380 miles per hour).
- Belts, or distinct horizontal divisions, are produced amid the clouds of the planet as a result of the separation between winds that mostly blow eastward and those that predominantly blow westward.
- These swiftly shifting belt boundaries are extremely active storm zones.
Coriolis Flow meter
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Mass flow meter, a device that measures the mass flow rate and density of a fluid moving down a tube, is a practical example of the Coriolis effect in action.
- The fundamental idea behind how it works is to cause the fluid-passing tube to vibrate.
- Despite not being entirely circular, the vibration provides the revolving reference frame that causes the Coriolis effect.
- The variations shown are an indication of the fluid's density and mass flow rate.
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Things to Remember
- Coriolis Effect is the apparent deflection of objects moving in a straight path relative to the Earth's surface.
- Coriolis Force is an apparent force caused by the rotation of the Earth.
- Gustave-Gaspard de Coriolis described the Coriolis Effect in 1835.
- It explains how ocean currents move in oceanography.
- Large-scale weather patterns and phenomenon are caused by the Coriolis effect.
- Coriolis Force moves in a north-south direction and is zero at equator.
Sample Questions
Ques. Give an example of Coriolis Effect. (2 Marks)
Ans. Coriolis Effect, also known as the Coriolis force, is the tendency of a moving object to appear to change direction to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. Hurricane winds, as an illustration of the Coriolis effect, are turning left in the Northern Hemisphere.
Ques. Where does the Coriolis Effect act strongly? (2 Marks)
(a) Poles
(b) Equator
(c) Tropic
(d) None of the above
Ans. (a) Poles
Explanation: Coriolis Effect is stronger at the poles of the earth, according to explanations. Coriolis force increases with distance from the equator since there is basically no Coriolis action there. This is due to the fact that as latitude increases, the speed of the earth's rotation decreases.
Ques. What impact does the Coriolis effect have on the wind? (1 Mark)
Ans. In the Northern hemisphere, the Coriolis effect causes the wind to be deflected to the right, and in the Southern hemisphere, to the left.
Ques. Why does the equator not experience the Coriolis effect? (1 Mark)
Ans. At the equator, the Earth's surface does not rotate beneath a freely moving, horizontal object. The object's course does not curve in relation to the Earth's surface as a result.
Ques. Are snipers impacted by the Coriolis force? (3 Marks)
Ans. Yes, the Coriolis force has an impact on snipers. The bullet will land higher than the shooter intended if the target is facing east, and lower than the shooter intended if the target is facing west. Military snipers take the Coriolis effect into consideration.
The earth's rotation has too little of an impact on the trajectory of a bullet, yet a sniper's aim is so accurate that a few centimeters of deflection might cause injury to innocent people or damage to civilian infrastructure.
Ques. Explain how the trash in the ocean disappears. What is the role of the Coriolis Effect? (3 Marks)
Ans. Paper, cardboard, and food are examples of biodegradable materials that break down quickly and are devoured by marine microbes. Metal, glass, and plastic do not deteriorate as quickly, though.
- Global ocean currents, which the earth's rotation forces to flow in a circling pattern, are the real perpetrators.
- Coriolis force is produced by the rotation of the earth. A gyre's cycling water currents naturally develop pressure differentials that tend to push floating rubbish toward the center of the gyre, where it collects. The food chain can even carry this waste to people, harming marine life.
Ques. What causes the water flowing down a drain to swirl in the northern hemisphere in a clockwise direction and the southern hemisphere in an anticlockwise direction? (3 Marks)
Ans. The direction in which water flows down a drain is not always consistent. The Coriolis force, a very real effect, is the root problem. The Coriolis force and the centrifugal force belong to the same concept.
- It is an inertial force brought on by an object's rotation. In the revolving reference frame, it is extremely real and neither fictitious nor made up.
- Everything on the surface of the earth experiences the Coriolis force as it rotates, including the water in your sink.
- The Coriolis force, however, is so weak that it takes a lot of material for it to have an impact.
- Simply put, there isn't enough water in the sink for the Coriolis force to work.
- On the other hand, because they contain enough material to be impacted by the Coriolis force, hurricanes typically spin in the opposite direction in the northern and southern hemispheres.
Ques. Describe the direction and size of the net force acting on
(a) A raindrop falling steadily to the ground.
(b) A 10 g cork floating in the water.
(c) A vehicle traveling at a steady speed of 30 km/h on an unpaved road.
(d) A fast electron traveling through space far from all other physical things and without any electric or magnetic fields. (3 Marks)
Ans. (a) The rate of the raindrop's descent is constant. As a result, acceleration will be eliminated. Since F = ma, the force acting on the drop will be zero when the acceleration is zero.
(b) The cork is floating in the water, indicating that the upthrust balances the cork's weight. Consequently, there will be no net force acting on the cork.
(c) The acceleration becomes zero since the car is moving at a steady speed. The force will be zero as a result.
(d) Because the high-speed electron is separated from physical objects and is not subject to electric or magnetic fields, there will be no net force acting on it.
Ques. Which of the following motion examples allows the body to be roughly regarded as a point object?
(a) A train vehicle that smoothly transitions between two stations.
(b) A cap perched atop a man riding steadily around a track.
(c) A spinning cricket ball that abruptly turns upon impact.
(d) A beaker that has fallen off the edge of a table and is toppling. (3 Marks)
Ans. (a) and (b)
The length of the racetrack and the distance between the two stations, respectively, are much longer than the size of the train car and the cap, respectively. The cap and the carriage can both be regarded as point objects as a result.
The distance the cricket ball bounces off the floor after impact is comparable to the size of the cricket ball. The cricket ball cannot, therefore, be considered a point object. The height of the table from which the beaker falls is comparable to the size of the beaker. The beaker cannot, therefore, be considered a point object.
Ques. Give a reason why
(a) A horse cannot run and draw a cart at the same time.
(b) When a speeding bus suddenly stops, passengers are propelled forward from their seats.
(c) When holding a catch, a cricketer moves his hands backward. (3 Marks)
Ans. (a) When pulling the cart, the horse exerts a particular amount of force on the ground. The third rule of motion states that the horse's feet will experience an equal and opposite reaction force from the ground. As a result, the horse is unable to move the cart in an open area.
(b) It is due to the inertia of the motion. When a bus abruptly stops, the part of a person's body that is in contact with the seat abruptly comes to rest while the upper part of their body is still in motion. The person's upper torso is thrust forward in the direction of the bus travel as a result.
(c) The ball has a lot of momentum when the batsman smacks it. The force is decreased when he moves his hands backward because the contact duration is prolonged.
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