Firstly why does water rotate differently in the opposing hemispheres?

Question

Secondly is there a location near the equator where it is in equilibrium. Or theoretically should there be?

Answer 1

Which hemisphere water is in makes absolutely *no* difference in which way it rotates. See this website ==>http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/coriolis.html

Answer 2

This is a common myth and does not actually exist. The main thing that effects the way water rotates is the way that the water enters the bowl as such. If it's squirted in clockwise it will continue that way and vice versa for counter clockwise.
The Coriolis effect can be seen in meteorology and whirlpools and wind and what not but the effect is a few orders of magnitude smaller than other factors such as geometry of the bowl, entrance direction, etc.

Answer 3

there is a drag force on ocean waters due to the rotation of earth this force is maximum at the equator since water in the upper and lower hemisphere move in the same dirn at the equator they have to northwards and southwards respectively due to the heating up of the water body afterall it has to complete a giant convectional cycle henceit has different rotational sense in diff hemisphere...in anutshell if both rotate in the same sense the idea of water going up towards resp. poles does not hold

Answer 4

This is due to the Coriolis effect, which appears to deflect objects moving in a rotating frame of reference, such as the Earth. And, yes, at the equator, it should be impossible for large whirlpools or cyclones to form. A flushing toilet or draining bathtub or even a tornado are on much too small a scale to be affected by the Coriolis effect, so they would be unaffected by the equator. But a cyclonic storm such as a hurricane or typhoon would not be able to exist sufficiently close to the equator.

Answer 5

The Coriolis force is only strong enough to influence a large body of water, or water that has been allowed to settle in a symmetrical container for a long time. Those SF or mystery stories solved by the hero noticing the direction of water spiraling down a drain are inaccurate (I. Asimov notwithstanding) .
It is sufficient to drive the direction of hurricanes and ocean currents.

Answer 6

It's called the coreollis effect. I also wonder if toilets at the equator flush without swirling in any direction, since the rotation is opposites from n to s hemispheres.