coriolis
Earth's rotation effect
Coriolis refers to an apparent deflection of moving objects when viewed from a rotating frame of reference, most commonly Earth.
The Coriolis effect explains why hurricanes spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, and influences ocean currents and wind patterns.
Named after French scientist Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, the term appears almost exclusively in scientific and meteorological contexts: The Coriolis force must be accounted for in long-range ballistic calculations.
Rotating low-pressure storm system
- anticycloneHigh-pressure weather system
- hurricaneViolent tropical windstorm
- typhoonWestern Pacific hurricane
- trade windsReliable equatorial air currents
jet stream · weather systems · pressure systems · wind patterns · monsoon · westerlies · polar vortex · storm tracks
Basis for measuring position
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- Foucault pendulumDevice demonstrating Earth's rotation
- centrifugalDirected away from axis
- inertiaResistance to altered motion
Spinning disc measuring orientation
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- angular momentumRotational motion quantity
- turntableRotating music player
- centrifugeSpinning density-separation device
rotor · rotating platform · precession · rotational motion · spinning top · merry-go-round · carousel
Large-scale seawater movement
- gyresRotating circular movements
- Gulf StreamWarm Atlantic ocean current
- upwellingDeep water rising surfaceward
- ocean circulationMovement of seawater globally
cyclone
Rotating low-pressure storm system
- anticycloneHigh-pressure weather system
- hurricaneViolent tropical windstorm
- typhoonWestern Pacific hurricane
trade winds · jet stream · weather systems · pressure systems · wind patterns · monsoon · westerlies · polar vortex · storm tracks · wind direction
reference frame
Basis for measuring position
- deflectionChange in trajectory
- Foucault pendulumDevice demonstrating Earth's rotation
- centrifugalDirected away from axis
gyroscope
Spinning disc measuring orientation
- spinRapid rotation around axis
- angular momentumRotational motion quantity
- turntableRotating music player
centrifuge · rotor · rotating platform · precession · rotational motion · spinning top · merry-go-round · carousel
ocean currents
Large-scale seawater movement
- gyresRotating circular movements
- Gulf StreamWarm Atlantic ocean current
- upwellingDeep water rising surfaceward
coriolisgravity
Mutual mass attraction
friction · electromagnetic force · gravitational force · centripetal force · fundamental force
- Coriolis effectApparent deflection on rotating bodies
- Coriolis forceApparent deflection from rotation