Silly question, I know, but will you answer it?

Question

silly answers are okay too:P

I heard that water drains the opposite way on different sides of the equator. I'm in the northern hemisphere, and the water drains counter clockwise. Will someone prove or disprove this myth? If you are in the southern hemisphere tell me how your water drains? I know strange question but I'm really curious.

Answer 1

Not a silly question but it is a myth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_Ef...

The Coriolis Effect only impacts large areas like hurricanes.

Answer 2

The water drains whichever way it is forced to.  The toilets flush depending on how they are built.  If you don't believe it, fill the sink with water and open the drain.  Move your hand in a clockwise circle and the water will drain that way.  Move it the other way and it will drain the other way.  It's just whichever way you push it.   Has nothing to do with where you are.

Answer 3

That is a myth. Although cyclonic storms tend to rotate the way you describe, water vortices do not. The particular shape and configuration of the drain, as well as the initial conditions of the swirl, play a much greater role in determining which way the vortex rotates.

Answer 4

it is a myth, water would drain the way it is "trained" to do.

Normally slope or directed force is applied to manipulate it.

thnks

Answer 5

yes its true..

Answer 6

funny enough it drains.....down

lol

clockwise

Answer 7

well, look, i have a sink in my house in which the water drains counter clockwise, but in my bathtub it always drains clockwise.

it depends more on the shape of the sink.

here's my explanation: they say that the draining is due to the coriolis effect, but ifthat was indeed true, you would expect it to  affect all kinds of fluid flow. for example, cigarette smoke would always curl clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

But that doesn't happen. the coriolis effect is too weak to affect short flows.

ps- water doesn't drain without twirling even if you are EXACTLY above the eqautor.

edit- see that wiki link given by mathew. its explained very well

Answer 8

never really notice tat...i check it out....my country is only 1 degree off the equator on the north side...we'll see how it drains

Answer 9

You want to try something really interesting? On a flight that goes through th equator, flush the toilet. It will drain straight down without twirling at all.