Climate Classroom: Coriolis Effect

The Climate Classroom: Coriolis Effect

Most of our weather comes from a force that doesn't actually exist. It just looks that way because we're standing on a rotating, spherical planet. You may have even heard of the coriolis effect before - perhaps as a reason why some sinks drain "counter clockwise" and others drain "clockwise". That actually has nothing to do with the coriolis effect, but the impact it has is quite real.

This is a great experiment to do with your kids. You just need a merry-go-round, like you can find at many playgrounds.

When I throw a ball to someone standing nearby when I'm not moving... it comes right to them. The same is true when people throw each other a ball on a stationary merry-go-round.

The Earth rotates on its axis. It's not standing still. To simulate t