water goes clockwise down the plug in the North hemisphere and anti in the south. What happens on the equator?

Answer 1

Contrary to one of the earlier answers it is NOT an urban myth

On one of the Michael Palin Pole to Pole episodes he conducts a rather simple experiment whilst standing directly on the equator

He floated a small stick in a container thet had a hole in the bottom to allow the water to drain, by moving a few hundred yards either side of the equator the stick rotated in either a clockwise or anti clockwise direction (dependant on whether he was south or north of the equator) but when stood on the equatorial line itself the water just drained out and the stick did not rotate in any direction

Answer 2

The Coriallis Effect making hurricanes and currents swirl one way or the other is not why drains swirl. The Coriallis Effect works on the big scale, but not on the small scale of a drain.

Check it out- fill several tubs and drain them. About half will swirl one way, the other half the other way.

The key is in the shape of the tub, and in the way it is filled. Filling the tub creates a circular movement in the water. A little food coloring in the tub as you fill it shows the direction of the swirl. When you drain it, there is usually enough of the original swirl to get things started and it drains swirling in the same direction.

If you fill a tub and wait several days, eliminating all other forces, the tub will drain straight for a moment, then a swirl will start because of the shape of the tub and the way the water is moving.

Check the links for proof that the whole thing, as you asked, is indeed a myth.

Answer 3

you're speaking appropriate to the coriolis result, the place air or water hundreds circulate greater on the instant whilst closer to the equator. you will see that this maximum needless to say in the swirling varieties of a typhoon. The coriolis result does impression water because it drains, yet in basic terms somewhat. the different result - residual action, wind, something in any respect will thoroughly swamp it. i can take a sink packed with water in the northern hemisphere and supply it one good stir anti-clockwise, enable it sit down 12 hours and it will nonetheless drain anti-clockwise. If I close this sink up in a thoroughly nonetheless ecosystem for a week the coriolis result will *probably* reason it to empty clockwise. yet i've got had to bypass to extremes to make this ensue. on the equator itself there may well be no coriolis result. Drainage direction may well be thoroughly random.

Answer 4

Thought i'd better reinforce the answers as i have actually tried this twice; in kenya and Ecuador. You can easily demonstrate the coriolis effect on level ground at the equator with two buckets and a funnel. It is VERY impressive. ON the equator, the water just goes straight down. On either side of the equator, provided you are careful and there are no extenuating factors, is spirals appropriately.
The problem with baths and many experiments is the non central location of the plughole which creates eddies which interfere with the experiment. The same goes for square sinks. All possible other causes of interference must be removed.
Incidentally what goes for sinks also goes for tornadoes which rotate in opposite directions on either side of the equator.
At the equator, people report they do not know what to do but circle in bumpy bits and starts!!

Answer 5

You are referring to the "Coriolis effect".

The Coriolis effect is real, it does influence the draining of water, but NOT to any significant degree.
The Coriolis effect's strength is determined by one's distance from the equator (it is stronger at the poles and weakest at the equator), but over all is extremely weak everywhere.
It would be like saying that a fly hitting a moving bus will effect whether the bus flips over or not, it is just such a weak force it has no real impact on things like the draining of water in a toilet or sink.

So the Coriolis effect is real, but the stories about it are not true for the most part.

Answer 6

the clockwise and anti-clockwise thing is actually a myth. what way the water goes down the drain depends on the design of the sink, toilet or whatever the thing is.

Answer 7

Not an urban myth!

The water goes straight down one side, and then backflips into the drain.

No not really. If your right on the equator, the water would try to go both ways, so it would just kind of pool up and not apear to spiral at all.

Answer 8

Its not a myth, on the equator the water swirls both ways whish cancels out the swirl and goes straight down.

Answer 9

Its an urban myth.... you can force water to go any direction down a plughole. It doesn't matter where you are in the world.

Answer 10

Only works in theory, technically not an urban myth, but you'll never demonstrate it.