Modeling the coriolis effect
Materials
1 Balloon
2 Markers
Instructions
1: Blow up a balloon
2 :With a marker, draw the equator on the balloon and label the North and South Poles.
3: Hold the balloon, and rotate it left to right, in the sense that the earth is rotating
While 1 partner rotates the (earth) balloon, the other examines the movement of the earth from the
North Pole perspective and from the South Pole perspective.
4: While 1 partner continues to rotate the balloon steadily from left to right, the other slowly tries
to draw a line straight south from the North Pole to the equator, using the other marker.
While the earth continues to rotate, 1 partner tries to draw a line straight north from the
South Pole to the equator.
1 Balloon
2 Markers
Instructions
1: Blow up a balloon
2 :With a marker, draw the equator on the balloon and label the North and South Poles.
3: Hold the balloon, and rotate it left to right, in the sense that the earth is rotating
While 1 partner rotates the (earth) balloon, the other examines the movement of the earth from the
North Pole perspective and from the South Pole perspective.
4: While 1 partner continues to rotate the balloon steadily from left to right, the other slowly tries
to draw a line straight south from the North Pole to the equator, using the other marker.
While the earth continues to rotate, 1 partner tries to draw a line straight north from the
South Pole to the equator.
Questions1) As you look down from the North pole toward the equator, which way is the Earth spinning and why?
It spins clockwise, because that is how something spinning east appears from the top of it.
2) As you look up from the South pole towards the equator, which way is the Earth spinning and why?
towards the west
3) What happened when you tried to draw a straight line from the North pole to the equator? Why?
The line curved to the left this way because the Coriolis effect makes everything appear to go westward
4) What happened when you tried to do the same with the south pole?
We flipped it upside down to spin it, and the line curved rightward. This is because the Coriolis effect makes things look like they curve westward and west is right when facing southward in the southern hemisphere.
5) Predict what would happen if you repeated this with the Earth spinning in the opposite direction.
The lines would curve eastward.
It spins clockwise, because that is how something spinning east appears from the top of it.
2) As you look up from the South pole towards the equator, which way is the Earth spinning and why?
towards the west
3) What happened when you tried to draw a straight line from the North pole to the equator? Why?
The line curved to the left this way because the Coriolis effect makes everything appear to go westward
4) What happened when you tried to do the same with the south pole?
We flipped it upside down to spin it, and the line curved rightward. This is because the Coriolis effect makes things look like they curve westward and west is right when facing southward in the southern hemisphere.
5) Predict what would happen if you repeated this with the Earth spinning in the opposite direction.
The lines would curve eastward.