87
EG-1998-03-109-HQ Activities in Planetary Geology for the Physical and Earth Sciences
Exercise Seven: Coriolis Effect
Purpose
The objective of this exercise is to demonstrate
that an object which moves in latitude over the sur-
face of a rotating planet experiences the Coriolis
effect, an apparent deflection of its path from a
straight line. Upon completion of this exercise the
student should understand the concept of the
Coriolis effect and be able to understand viewing an
event from different frames of reference.
Materials
Suggested: lazy susan type turntable (must be
able to be rotated clockwise and counterclockwise),
paper, tape, markers (3 colors)
Background
The Coriolis effect is caused by an ÒimaginaryÓ
force but has very real effects on the weather of
Earth and other planets. On Earth, which spins
counterclockwise as viewed from above its north
pole, objects are deflected to the right in the north-
ern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemi-
sphere. This deflection is only apparent, however, as
an observer watching from space would see the
objectÕs path as a straight line. It is because we are
viewing in the frame of reference of the rotating
Earth that we see the apparent deflection.
This exercise demonstrates the Coriolis effect by
using a rotating turntable. Students will draw
straight lines while spinning the turntable in differ-
ent directions. To their surprise the resultant lines
will be curves on the paper covering the turntable.
This apparent deflection, the Coriolis effect, only
occurs in the frame of reference of the turntable. The
students, in a different frame of reference, know that
the path of the marker used to draw the line was
straight. On the sphere of the Earth, we occupy the
same reference frame as the motion, so we ÒseeÓ the
Coriolis effect in action. To an outside observer, who
is occupying another reference frame, there is no
deflection and the motion is a straight line.
This concept has important implications for the
motion of ocean currents, storms on Earth, and even
missiles, but is unimportant at smaller scales. In
combination with pressure effects, the Coriolis
deflection gives rise to a counterclockwise rotation
of large storms, such as hurricanes, in the northern
hemisphere, and clockwise rotation in the southern
hemisphere. This could be illustrated to students
through pictures of hurricanes or other large storms
found in newspapers, magazines, or elsewhere in
this lab manual.
Students should work in pairs, one spinning the
turntable at a constant speed and the other marking
the line. Instructors should note that the spinning of
the Earth once a day on its axis is called rotation.
Students can experiment with rotating their
turntable faster or slower to see the effect on the
drawn lines. A faster spin will result in greater
deflection. If time or materials are a problem, this
exercise can be done as a demonstration by the
instructor.
Vector motion of the surface of a sphere is com-
plex. The magnitude of the Coriolis effect is con-
trolled by rotation about the vertical axis. On Earth
the vertical axis of rotation is a line connecting the
geographic north and south poles. On a rotating
sphere, the maximum rotation is at the poles; there
is no rotation about the vertical axis at the equator.
To visualize this, imagine two flat disks glued onto
the surface of a sphere, one at the north pole and
one at the equator. As the sphere rotates, the disk at
Exercise
Seven Coriolis Effect
Instructor Notes
Suggested Correlation of Topics
Air and its movements, atmospheres, circula-
tion of air or sea, meteorology, ocean
currents, physics: forces and mechanics,
planetary rotation
1.0 hours
