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In reality the Coriolis effect is a few orders of magnitude smaller than various random influences on drain direction, such as the geometry of the container and the direction in which water was initially added to it. Most toilets flush in only one direction, because the toilet water flows into the bowl at an angle.[23] If water shot into the basin from the opposite direction, the water would spin in the opposite direction.[24]So popular culture is misconceived in stating that water in bathtubs or toilets always drains in one direction in the Northern Hemisphere, and in the other direction in the Southern Hemisphere as a consequence of the Coriolis effect. This idea has been perpetuated by several television programs, including an episode of The Simpsons and one of The X-Files.[25] In addition, several science broadcasts and publications (including at least one college-level physics textbook) have made this incorrect statement.[26]