Pseudo-Forces in a Rotating Reference Frame
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In an Earth-bound rotating reference frame 
, two pseudo-forces act on a mass (the blue point): the Coriolis force and the centrifugal force. This Demonstration gives the resultant of these two forces as a function of angular velocity 
, position (latitude 
), and velocity 
of the mass.
Contributed by: Bernard Vuilleumier (July 2011)
Open content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
Snapshots
Details
Snapshot 1: the centrifugal force reduces the force of gravity; dependent on latitude, this is largest at the equator, zero at the poles
La force centrifuge réduit la force d'interaction gravitationnelle; cette réduction, qui dépend de la latitude, est maximale à l'équateur et nulle aux pôles
Snapshot 2: the Coriolis force depends on latitude and velocity; a velocity tangent to the meridian is largest at the poles, zero at the equator
La force de Coriolis dépend de la latitude et de la vitesse; pour une vitesse tangente au méridien, elle est maximale aux pôles et nulle à l'équateur
Snapshot 3: the Coriolis force points west for a vertical ascending motion
La force de Coriolis pointe vers l'ouest pour un mouvement vertical ascendant
Snapshot 4: the Coriolis force points east for a vertical descending motion
La force de Coriolis pointe vers l'est pour un mouvement vertical descendant
Permanent Citation
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