[kawr-ee-oh-lis] 
| the apparent deflection (Coriolis acceleration) of a body in motion with respect to the earth, as seen by an observer on the earth, attributed to a fictitious force (Coriolis force) but actually caused by the rotation of the earth and appearing as a deflection to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and a deflection to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. |
| Coriolis force n. A pseudo force used mathematically to describe motion, as of aircraft or cloud formations, relative to a noninertial, uniformly rotating frame of reference such as the earth. [After Gaspard G. de Coriolis (1792-1843), French mathematician.] |
| Main Entry: | Coriolis force |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | a force which, due to the Earth's rotation, acts on a body in motion; an apparent force deflecting the motion of an object or a fluid moving over the surface of a rotating body such as a planet or star |
| Etymology: | from C.G. Coriolis, French mathematician and engineer |
| Usage: | science |
Coriolis effect (kôr'ē-ō'lĭs) Pronunciation Key
(click for larger image in new window) The observed effect of the Coriolis force, especially the deflection of objects or substances (such as air) moving along the surface of the Earth, rightward in the Northern Hemisphere and leftward in the Southern Hemisphere. The Coriolis effect is named after the French engineer Gustave Gaspard Coriolis (1792-1843). |
| Coriolis force
A velocity-dependent pseudo force used mathematically to describe the motion of bodies in rotating reference frames such as the Earth's surface. Bodies moving on the plane of rotation appear to experience a force, leftward if the rotation of the reference frame is clockwise, rightward if counterclockwise. Such motion gives rise to the Coriolis effect. |