PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Explaining coriolis when the relevant pressure systems are at the same latitude
Old 2nd Oct 2011, 19:59
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Mr Optimistic
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Bedford, UK
Age: 70
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Coriolis Forces

This only works if you take your feet off the ground.

Never that comfortable with coriolis myself (should have tried harder). Think Heston has it. Presume you imagine that you are happily standing at some latitude and the earth is wizzing you round in a small circle. What fun. However here at latitude 54 degrees north my vertical is making an angle of 36 degrees with the polar axis. My reference is a plane I regard as horizontal, and I could draw north and east directions on it. If I look at the earth's angular velocity vector in relation to this, this vector is aligned with my north mark but stands at an angle of 54 degrees off the plane -tilted up to me. The component of that vector lying in the plane pointing north sure enough takes my feet round to the my east. However the component wich points up through my vertical is going to rotate me clockwise looking up. So if I was initially looking east my sightline would move left (northwards). An object moving east would appear to me to be bent to the right.

Wish I hadn't started this.

Not sure if this is correct, but it may buy time to make your escape.

Last edited by Mr Optimistic; 2nd Oct 2011 at 21:05.
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