Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => That CAN'T be true! => Topic started by: zebadee on 15/05/2009 12:19:27

Title: Have I been duped?
Post by: zebadee on 15/05/2009 12:19:27

On a trip to Ecuador last year, visited a museum at the equatorial line. A demonstration of a sink being drained 2m north of the line and again 2m south of the line demonstrated that the water drained in the opposite direction each side. The coriolis effect. I have since been informed that the forces involved are weak and easily disrupted even far from the equator and that there is no way this was a genuine truth 2m from the equator. Please help. The tooth fairy is dead and so is Santa .... was this lies too??????

Title: Have I been duped?
Post by: dentstudent on 15/05/2009 12:25:19

Yes. Lies, all lies.

Title: Have I been duped?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 15/05/2009 12:34:10

I think they took you for a spin.

Title: Have I been duped?
Post by: Don_1 on 15/05/2009 14:37:24

SANTA!!!! DEAD???? (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbestsmileys.com%2Fcrying%2F2.gif&hash=6f40ed49d250203da654520072aa4687)

Title: Have I been duped?
Post by: Fortran on 15/05/2009 19:53:33

Another myth down the plughole...

Title: Have I been duped?
Post by: DrN on 15/05/2009 21:06:11

See wikipedia, the holy grail of information:

Quote

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]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect)

Title: Have I been duped?
Post by: Yomi on 07/06/2009 20:27:52

ha ha ha