The Name - Coriolis
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What does Coriolis mean? |
The coriolis force, named for the
French physicist, Gaspard Coriolis (1792-1843), who discovered it, is
the result of the 24-hour spin of the Earth.
The coriolis effect may be seen on a large scale in the movement of winds and ocean currents on the rotating earth and on a small scale by the flowing of water down the drain.
The Earth is 40,000 kilometers around at its widest part, the equator. Because it spins on its axis once in 24 hours, a point on the Earth's equator is traveling about 1,700 km per hour relative to its axis. But the closer you get to the poles, the smaller the track a point takes in its daily rotation.
At 60 degrees North
or South latitude, the track is only half the distance that it is at
the equator, and so a point travels only half as fast. Air (or water)
moving from high latitudes to low then tends to lag, and a person on
the surface would feel a wind blowing out of the east. On the other
hand, air moving from low latitudes to high is deflected westwards.
This also means that moving air or water is deflected to the right in
the northern hemisphere, and to the left in the southern hemisphere.
This mpeg video of Hurricane Andrew hitting the Florida coast demonstrates the coriolis force at work.
Why did we use it?
We chose to name our firm Coriolis Research after the coriolis force for four reasons:
The coriolis force works in opposite directions in the two hemispheres. We believe the same holds true for our industry. Don't blindly apply the lessons of North America and Europe in Australasia, or vice versa. Make sure you understand local conditions before you act.
We look forward to working with you.