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Coriolis force
Coriolis force is the name given to the inertial forces acting on a body moving across the surface of a rotating sphere. They result from accelerations generated through the conservation of angular momentum, a basic tenet of Newtonian laws of motion. So anywhere on the surface of the earth, apart from exactly on the equator or at the poles, anything that moves, including currents and winds, will rotate. In the northern hemisphere the rotation is clockwise (cyclonic), and in the southern hemisphere it is anticlockwise (anticyclonic). It determines patterns of circulation in the atmosphere (prevailing winds and tropical storms) and in the oceans (the major current gyres and upwelling). The term commemorates the 19th-century French mathematician Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis. See also marine meteorology.
M. V. Angel |
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Cite this article
"Coriolis force." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Coriolis force." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-Coriolisforce.html "Coriolis force." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-Coriolisforce.html |
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Coriolis force
Coriolis force An apparent force deflecting the motion of an object or a fluid moving over the surface of a rotating body such as a planet or star. For example, in the Earth's northern hemisphere objects are deflected to the right of their direction of travel, and in the southern hemisphere to the left. The effect applies to winds, water, and rocket launches. It is named after the French physicist Gustave Gaspard de Coriolis (1792–1843).
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Cite this article
"Coriolis force." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Coriolis force." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Coriolisforce.html "Coriolis force." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-Coriolisforce.html |
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Coriolis force
Coriolis force (Cor F) An apparent force acting on moving objects that results from the Earth's rotation. It causes objects in motion, and oceanic and atmospheric currents, to be deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere. The force is proportional to the speed and latitude of the moving feature, and therefore varies from zero at the equator to a maximum at the poles.
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Cite this article
AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Coriolis force." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Coriolis force." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Coriolisforce.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "Coriolis force." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-Coriolisforce.html |
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