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Old 23rd Dec 2004, 09:40
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B Fraser
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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The coriolis force is a difficult one to get your head around. It is a true vector force i.e. it has direction and magnitude, that is, it acts always at 90 degrees to your direction of travel and (correct me if I'm wrong) is proportional to your velocity.

Tropical storms, cyclones, anticyclones rotate due to the influence of the CF. The geostrophic wind (2000 feet say, outside the influence of surface friction) flows parallel to the isobars where the CF is balanced by the pressure gradient force. If it wasn't for the CF, there would not be much weather as any pressure imbalance would result in a bit of wind (sea breezes for example). Thanks to the good old CF, we have all sorts of interesting shennanigans to contend with.

There are some really good web pages to be found where the forces are explained alongside some animated graphics. Happy hunting.
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