Journal Entry

I have a few people ask me which direction does water drain in Christchurch, New Zealand because it is South of the equator. Watch my video below as I conduct two trials to see which direction the water drains. I use an earplug as my "boat" to better see which direction in which the water was draining.

Test it out where you live and in the comment section write: North/South of the Equator and which direction your water drains clockwise/ counterclockwise!

Comments

Sat, 10/12/2019 - 16:29

Mike Penn

Bridget, my classes read your journal and watched your video on the Coriolis Effect! I tried to do it when I was there but my sink was square and I couldn't get it to drain correctly. Your video led to some interesting questions about cyclonic motion in the hemispheres and specifically about the "Doldrums" near the Equator. Thank you and we look forward to your next journal.

Thu, 10/17/2019 - 08:38

Raman

I am in the Northern Hemisphere so the water here drains clockwise. This is called the Coriolis Effect which we learned about in 8th grade.

Thu, 10/17/2019 - 14:14

Bridget Ward

Hi Raman,
Have you tried it? Were you surprised I got the results that I did during my trials?

Thu, 10/17/2019 - 08:41

Pratick

What causes the water going down a drain to swirl clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter clockwise in the southern hemisphere?

Thu, 10/17/2019 - 08:44

Daniel

Hi Ms. Ward! Does the direction the water drains have to due with gravity or something else?

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