Tinstaafl,
I spent much of my PPL, and some more time recently, drawing lines on oranges in much the way you describe, and sorry, after everyone else's nice comments, but it doesn't convince me, good though it sounds. What about a wind that starts off due easterly? And why don't we end up with all winds going west? And what happens to a wind that starts off as a westerly?
bookworm,
I think your explanation might make sense if I was convinced of Coriolis in the first place; I'm not quite sure. But...for the analogy to make sense, surely the slope would have to move, not the car. Otherwise, what happens when your car goes uphill? Or am I just confused - which is certainly possible.
I've read about this in several books now, and no-one's yet logically explained the jump from a rotating earth that is supposed to bend winds, and winds blowing parallel along isobars no matter what direction the original wind or the isobars go in.
Thanks, guys, but please try again.