Do toilets really flush backwards in the Southern Hemisphere?

Likewise, the rotation of the earth gives rise to an effect that tends to accelerate draining water in a clockwise direction in the Northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern.

Do toilets really flush backwards in Australia?

Because of the rotation of the Earth, the Coriolis effect means that hurricanes and other giant storm systems swirl counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. In theory, the draining water in a toilet bowl (or a bathtub, or any vessel) should do the same.

Does Coriolis effect affect toilets?

Yes, there is such a thing as the Coriolis effect, but it is not enough to dominate the flushing of a toilet–and the effect is weakest at the equator.

Do toilets spin in different directions?

Sadly, you cannot, because toilets tend to angle the jets that pass water into the bowl to drive the direction of draining water.

Why do toilets flush backwards south of the equator?

The Coriolis effect is probably the most scientific excuse humans have for staring into toilet bowls. The effect makes objects on the Earth curve when they should go straight, and it’s why some people insist that toilet bowls flush in the opposite direction on the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere.

Why does water spin differently in different hemispheres?

The Coriolis force is simply too weak to affect such small bodies of water. The Coriolis force is caused by the earth’s rotation. It is responsible for air being pulled to the right (counterclockwise) in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left (clockwise) in the Southern Hemisphere.

Do hurricanes always spin the same direction?

In fact, tropical cyclones — the general name for the storms called typhoons, hurricanes or cyclones in different parts of the world — always spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and spin in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere.