Coriolis force
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.
    • 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.
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