How does Coriolis force work and how does it effect us on earth? What are some applications of Coriolis force?
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Imagine a spinning wheel, lifted off of the ground. The center of the wheel spins, but you’ll notice it isn’t moving anywhere. The outside of the wheel moves in circles, but the center doesn’t move anywhere.
This means the outside is moving faster than the center. The closer to the center you look, the slower it is moving.
If something were to travel from the center of the wheel to the edge, it would have to start moving faster to keep up with the part of the wheel it’s currently on. If it is sliding on a rail, then it will feel a force from the rail causing it to curve and pick up speed to match the wheel as it moves outward. This is the coriolis force.
If the object did not ride on rails and slid freely over the surface, following a true straight line, then as it moves outwards and the wheel moves faster beneath it, it draws a curved line on the wheel. This is the coriolis effect.
Its effects on Earth are only seen with very precise instruments, large systems, or fast systems. Bullets, airplanes, wind currents, and such.
If a wind blows towards the spinning axis of the Earth, so towards the nearest pole, the wind (following a ‘straight’ path) will appear to us on the surface of the wheel (the Earth) to curve eastward. Likewise if it blows towards the equator, it will appear to us on the ground to curve westward. This causes large wind systems (tornadoes, hurricanes) to form spinning one way in the northern hemisphere and the other way in the southern hemisphere.
It shows up in all scenarios where objects are spinning and moving, though, so the coriolis force is something that must be included when trying to model any spinning moving system. Engines, for instance.
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