Does water flowing down a drain spin in different directions depending on the hemisphere you are in?

Question

I need this question answered URGENTLY!!!

Answer 1

I don't think so. Its not like the weather, where it can be affected by the difference in densities of the air at the different lattitudes. The drain pipe would be too small for that to make a difference.

More likely, it is determined by the angle of your faucet with the drain, and the force of the water comming out from the faucet...

Answer 2

No, I was just reading about this science myth yesterday. The article said that huge weather systems like hurricanes do spin in opposite directions in the northern and southern hemisphere, but that water going down the drain is too small of a system to be affected by Earth's rotation.

Answer 3

Absolutely not!

The Coriolis Effect only applies to global weather patterns. Basically, the difference in the latitudinal arcs of the Earth (and thus the relative velocities there) make large weather patterns turn clockwise in the northern hemisphere and the opposite in the south.

This affect is infinitesimal on the scales of a drains and the way they flow has more to do with the shape of the receptacle and other static properties of the system.

This is a common urban myth. See the snopes.com link below.

Answer 4

"The route of action is brought about by ability of the Coriolis outcome. this can nicely be visualized in case you imagine putting a pan of water on a turntable and then spinning the turntable in a counterclockwise route, the route in which the earth rotates as seen from above the north pole. The water on the bottom of the pan will be dragged counterclockwise route slightly speedier than the water on the outdoors, giving the water an obtrusive clockwise spin in the pan. yet in case you've been to look on the water in the pan from decrease than, such as seeing it from the south pole, it may look spinning in a counterclockwise route. Likewise, the rotation of the earth provides upward thrust to an outcome that has a tendency to boost up draining water in a clockwise route in the Northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern."

Answer 5

There is no YES or NO answer to this question.

It all depends on the shape of the sink and the direction in which the water enters the drain.

Answer 6

Yes it does

Answer 7

yes. clockwise in the northern, counterclockwise in the southern

Answer 8

yes