The key difference between Coriolis effect and Ferrel’s law is that the Coriolis effect is the deflection that occurs due to the Coriolis force, whereas Ferrel’s law is the tendency of rising warm air to pull in air from more equatorial and warmer regions and transport it poleward.
The terms Coriolis effect and Ferrel’s law are two uncommon terms in physical chemistry. These terms come under the field of classical mechanics, where the rotation of planes is described.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is the Coriolis Effect
3. What is Ferrel’s Law
4. Side by Side Comparison – Coriolis Effect vs Ferrel’s Law in Tabular Form
5. Summary
What is the Coriolis Effect?
Coriolis effect is the deflection of an object that occurs due to Coriolis force. In the field of physics, the Coriolis effect is a type of inertial or fictitious force that can act on objects which are in motion within a frame of references that can rotate with respect to an inertial frame.
For example, when considering the reference frame with clockwise rotation, the Coriolis force acts to the left of the motion of the object. But for a reference frame with anticlockwise rotation, the Coriolis force acts towards the right side. The concept of Coriolis force was developed by the French scientist Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis in 1835. This theory was developed in connection with the theory of water wheels.
Figure 01: Rotation due to the Coriolis Effect
We can observe that the Coriolis effect is proportional to the rotation rate of the rotating system. When Newtonian laws are used for rotating frame of references, the Coriolis effect and centrifugal acceleration can be applied. If these are applied to massive objects, the respective effects are proportional to the masses of the objects. Usually, the Coriolis effect acts in a perpendicular direction to the rotation axis and is perpendicular to the velocity of the body in the rotating frame. Moreover, it is proportional to the object’s speed in the rotating frame. The references frame we generally use for the Coriolis effect is the Earth.
What is Ferrel’s Law?
Ferrel’s law is the tendency of rising warm air to pull in air from more equatorial and warmer regions and transport it poleward. Here, the rising of warm air is pulled due to the Coriolis effect, which causes the air to rotate. This concept was developed by the scientist William Ferrel. The rotation of air caused by the Coriolis effect creates the complex curvatures in the frontal systems separating the cooler Arctic/Antarctic air poleward from the warmer tropical air towards the equator.
What is the Difference Between Coriolis Effect and Ferrel’s Law?
The key difference between Coriolis effect and Ferrel’s law is that the Coriolis effect is the deflection that occurs due to the Coriolis force, whereas Ferrel’s law is the tendency of rising warm air to pull in air from more equatorial and warmer regions and transport it poleward.
The following infographic summarizes the difference between Coriolis effect and Ferrel’s law in tabular form.
Summary – Coriolis Effect vs Ferrel’s Law
The terms Coriolis effect and Ferrel’s law are two uncommon terms in physical chemistry. The key difference between Coriolis effect and Ferrel’s law is that the Coriolis effect is the deflection that occurs due to the Coriolis force, whereas Ferrel’s law is the tendency of rising warm air to pull in air from more equatorial and warmer regions and transport it poleward.
Reference:
1. “Coriolis Force.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Mar. 2021, Available here.
2. Mosetti F. Ferrel’s law. In: Beaches and Coastal Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. Available here.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Corioliskraftanimation” By Hubi – German Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia