What is a simple explanation of the Coriolis force?

The Coriolis Force. Responsible for large scale weather patterns and legendary cause of the direction the water swirls down the sink (although it generally isn't). But when trying to explain how it really works, most physicists come up with a blank, point to the equation and mutter something about rotating frames of reference. read more

Give or take an order of magnitude and one full rotation per hour is all the Coriolis Effect can reverse. Even take two orders of magnitude and you still can have water spinning at once every few minutes and still be spinning the "wrong" direction enough to ignore the Coriolis Effect and go down the sink its own way. read more

There is a lot about the Coriolis effect on the net. Let me offer the following, which is just ment to set you on the track: On some playgrounds, there is an iron wheel lying flat on level with the ground, four to five meters in diameter. The wheel has a flat surface, and rails to hold on to. read more

At some point in their lives, most people hear about the Coriolis force, whether in reference to weather patterns, sea currents or, most prosaically, which way water flows down the sink. Unfortunately, while many have heard of it, few understand it well enough to explain it without resorting to vector equations. read more