,How does water drain directly at the equator?

Question

If water drains counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the souther hemisphere, what will we see with draining water directly at eh equator??

Answer 1

The idea that water drains counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern hemisphere is wrong. It is a popular misconception, and is based on something called the "coriolis force", which is kind of complicated to explain, but has to do with the spinning of the earth. It is true that the coriolis force would influence a liquid in the direction it drains, but the force is TINY compared to the other forces present in the liquid. The way water drains - whether clockwise or counter clockwise - is based mainly on the intial direction of the water in the container, not whether it is in the northern or southern hemisphere. So in short, at the equator, it will drain in either direction, depending on the initial direction! Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I would assume it would be random. And while the above statement is true, the biggest factor in which direction it drains is still the design of the container it is draining out of.

Answer 3

Straight down.