Submarine

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Patchman123

Do they? Do they actually spin differently in the Southern Hemisphere?

Actually, the Coriolis Effect, while it does exist, is so weak that it is almost impossible to demonstrate on small systems, especially sinks, toilets and other mythical demonstrators of the Coriolis Effect.

Almost all of the determination of the direction of rotation in draining any kind of small reservoir is from initial conditions: the small but undetectable motion of the water, the shape of the container, etc. In fact all the stuff you've heard about toilets rotating in opposite directions depending on whether they are in the northern or southern hemisphere is nothing but an urban myth.

Here's a website explaining this in excruciating but highly entertaining detail. Enjoy! Mythbusters also did a show on this.