Re: coriolis situation

[Ludwik Kowalski <KowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

What follows is from Encyclopedia Brittanica CD.
I assume it is legal to cut and paste, and to share one
item over the Internet.

Wasn't École Polytechnique originally created by
Napoleon to train military specialists? This can explain
the "mechanism" by which ideas influenced some
practical applications. But this is only a guess. The
article does not mention "water wheels" which were
suggested earlier in this thread.

Note that Coriolis is credited here for the "modern
scientific meanings" of the concepts of work and
energy.

A quick look at articles on meteorology and
oceanography did not reveal anything connected
with motivations. When was it discovered that
winds do not flow from regions of high p to
regions of low p? Was it an empirical discovery or
a theoretical prediction confirmed by experiments?
......................................

> Coriolis force, an effect of motion on a rotating body,
> of paramount importance to meteorology, ballistics,
> and oceanography.
>
> An assistant professor of analysis and mechanics at the École
> Polytechnique, Paris (1816-38), he introduced the terms work
> and kinetic energy in their modern scientific meanings in his
> first major book, Du calcul de l'effet des machines (1829; "On
> the Calculation of Mechanical Action"), in which he attempted
> to adapt theoretical principles to applied mechanics.
>
> In 1835 he published a paper, "Sur les équations du mouvement
> relatif des systèmes de corps" ("On the Equations of Relative
> Motion of Systems of Bodies"), in which he showed that on a
> rotating surface, in addition to the ordinary effects of motion of
> a body, there is an inertial force acting on the body at right angles
> to its direction of motion. This force results in a curved path for
> a body that would otherwise travel in a straight line. The Coriolis
> force on Earth determines the general wind directions and is
> responsible for the rotation of hurricanes and tornadoes.