Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
The Coriolis effect
I feel crappy. What did I eat today that had beef in it? And what have I done with my life? Where am I going, and who will I be when I get there?
Ah, forget it. Check out Wikipedia’s page on Common Misconceptions (hat tip to my son. How does he find these things?) Should I add one in the health category: ear wax isn’t really wax?
This one was interesting:
The Coriolis effect does not determine the direction that water rotates in a bathtub drain or a flushing toilet. The Coriolis force is relatively small; it appears over large scales (like weather systems) or in systems such as the Foucault pendulum in which the small influence is allowed to accumulate over time. In a bathtub or toilet, the flow of the water over the basin itself produces forces that dwarf the Coriolis force. In addition, most toilets inject water into the bowl at an angle, causing a spin too fast to be affected by the Coriolis effect.
Need a fact which will win you drinks at the bar? Here:
The Earth’s North Magnetic Pole is not a north magnetic pole, but rather a south magnetic pole. Since a compass needle is a magnet whose “North” end has standard north polarity, and since magnetic poles are attracted to their opposites, the compass needle points to the magnetic south pole of the Earth’s magnetic field. Therefore, the Arctic pole is a south-type pole, while the Antarctic pole is a north-type pole.
You’re welcome.
D.
i thought it was true north pole, maybe they the same
have a great weekend jones
i don’t know about any of that but i have come in search of “rubber corn dog.”
“blog has been removed” is what one sees when one opens the link.
i don’t know the blog author’s name but have read her posts for several years and know she’s got some serious health problems.
please post any news you might have about her (or send me an email). best wishes to her and her family and friends.
Sorry Karen Marie. Don’t want to alarm anyone. I’m just a bit worn out and got a touch of OCD. I took the blog down, beat it with a broom and deleted it. The email is rubbercorndog at yahoo dot com.
Hope you’re back on line soon, m’dear 🙂
As for the “north magnetic pole” thing — perhaps it’s the compass needle that has N painted on the wrong side. I posit that, since magnetic pole nomenclature is simply an arbitrary convenience, it makes sense to co-locate* the north magnetic pole and the Earth’s northern rotational axis.
Okay, I think I’m out of big words for the day.
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* Approximately, since the magnetic pole is a moving target.