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Coriolis Effect

In 1835, a Mathematician/Engineer named Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis devised a theory which stated that any moving body that spirals above the Earth will spin in a direction that is perpendicular to the planet's rotation. This theory was later used to explain why a hurricane in the northern hemisphere will always spin in a counterclockwise motion, and a hurricane in the southern hemisphere will always spin in a clockwise motion.

Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis

Coriolis was born in Paris in 1792. He first studied and later taught at the Ecole Polytechnique, where he spent much of his time working on theories about the principle of kinetic energy. In 1835, he published a paper called Sur les équations du mouvement relatif des systémes de corps, which presented proof that stated the laws of motion may be used in a rotating frame of reference when an extra force is included to the equations of the motion. That extra force became known as the Coriolis acceleration.

Application

While the Coriolis Effect is commonly used in the study of hurricanes and other oceanic storms, Coriolis himself never actually applied his theories to oceanography or the study of tropical storms. A scientist named William Ferrel expanded on the Coriolis Effect and used it to explain the movement of storms above the sea. Ferrel's work with the theory helped it to become a commonly used method of studying the rotating forces that form tropical storms such as hurricanes above the ocean.

Actual effect

The results of the Coriolis Effect show the direction that hurricanes and tropical storms will move, depending on which hemisphere they are in. This result is directly related to the fact that the surface of the Earth spins at a faster rate at the equator than it does at the North or South Pole. Therefore, a hurricane that moves close to the equator will spin towards the west and a hurricane that moves close to either pole will spin towards the east. The Earth spins in an eastern direction, so the motion of that spin combined with the speed will directly impact the rotation of any hurricane.

The work done by Gustave-Gaspard Coriolis combined with the studies of William Ferrel has allowed scientists and meteorologists to better understand and calculate the properties of any tropical storm. The Coriolis Effect is used today to study hurricanes and conceptualize their strength, motion and the path that they will travel.