Our toilets flush clockwise in the northern hemisphere. Is it true they flush counter-clockwise in the southern?
I went and tested. And tested our sinks (Didn't test the bath or the shower, perhaps that would have different results!). And I'm suspecting that things are differently shaped over here!
Our toilet didn't go any way at all. It just flushes. Straight back, no swirling at all. So do the toilets in the school.
Our sink, well our bathroom basin has two taps. The tap on the left the water went anti clockwise, the tap on the right it went clockwise.
Maybe someone else can help me with this?
Are our toilets shaped differently further than the dual flush thing? (We often have two buttons, one for full flush one for half flush. You only use the full flush for more solid waste, and the half for most flushes. Saves a LOT of water, and is compulsory for new buildings to have these now).
Ten Years Today
5 years ago
Toilet flushing depends on the design of the toilet, not which hemisphere the toilet is in. I live in the northern hemisphere and have seen toilets that swirl in each direction, and a few that don't swirl.
ReplyDeleteThe Coriolis effect is what is responsible for large flows (think tropical cyclones) rotating in different directions in different hemispheres, but it is a very small acceleration that will only show up with very large things. You *CAN* get it to show up in something like a bathtub draining, but you need to make sure the water is absolutely still first (let it stand for at least a day) and open the drain slowly with a pre-attached string (to minimize the movement created by opening the drain). If you do it right, it will show up after a while (probably 10-20 minutes, so make sure you have a large enough tub!).