Coriolis force

English

Etymology

From French Coriolis (“a surname”) + English force, after French scientist Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis.

Noun

Coriolis force (plural Coriolis forces)

1. (physics, meteorology) A fictitious force apparently exerted on any moving body (including a parcel of air) due to the rotation of the earth, observed as a deflection of the body to the right of its direction of travel (i.e., clockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere, or to the left (anticlockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere; any equivalent apparent force that deflects objects in a rotating reference frame.
   • 2006, J. Gordon Leishman, Principles of Helicopter Aerodynamics‎^[1], page 197:

     On a rotor, Coriolis forces will appear whenever there is a radial lengthening or shortening of the blade about the rotational axis, which will be a result of blade flapping or bending.

   • 2013, C. H. Townes, A.L. Schawlow, Microwave Spectroscopy, page 30:

     These terms are generally thought of as due to Coriolis forces, and represent a coupling of the modes of vibration ω₂ and ω₃ Coriolis forces in the rotating molecule. The Coriolis force is a fictitious force which must be introduced if mechanical motion is studied in a rotating coordinate system and the rotation is otherwise overlooked.

   • 2013, Jack Williams, The AMS Weather Book: The Ultimate Guide to America's Weather‎^[2], page 56:

     First, we'll look at a simplified picture of how the pressure gradient and Coriolis forces affect an air parcel high above the ground.

Synonyms

• (apparent force due to the rotation of the earth): Coriolis effect

Related terms

• Coriolis effect
• Coriolis frequency
• Coriolis parameter

Translations

apparent force due to the rotation of the earth

• Czech: Coriolisova síla f
• Estonian: Coriolisi jõud
• Finnish: coriolisvoima
• German: Corioliskraft (de) f
• Japanese: コリオリ力 (koriori-ka)
• Russian: си́ла Кориоли́са f (síla Koriolísa)
• Vietnamese: hiệu ứng Coriolis, lực Coriolis