Coriolis Acceleration Calculator

How it is calculated

The tool evaluates a = 2 × Ω × v × sin(φ). v is the object's speed in m/s, φ is the latitude in degrees (-90 at the south pole to 90 at the north pole) and Ω is the angular velocity of the rotating body in rad/s. If the Ω box is left blank, Earth's value 7.2921e-5 rad/s is used; for another planet, type its own Ω. Speed and Ω cannot be negative, and a latitude outside ±90° gives no result. The acceleration is shown in m/s² with six significant figures. In the southern hemisphere sin φ is negative, so the number is negative and the text says the path bends to the left; in the north it bends to the right; at the equator the answer is 0. The speed is treated as horizontal and only the sideways deflection of a freely moving object is modelled.

Common mistakes

• Typing latitude in radians. The field is in degrees, so 0.79 is read as 0.79° and the result is far too small.
• Forgetting the minus sign for the southern hemisphere. A southern latitude must be negative, otherwise the tool reports a rightward deflection instead of a leftward one.
• Entering speed in km/h or knots. The field is m/s, so 900 km/h must be typed as 250.
• Expecting a non-zero result at the equator. The acceleration there is exactly 0 because sin 0° = 0, however fast the object moves.
• Treating the acceleration as the total sideways drift. It is a rate in m/s²; the actual displacement depends on how long the object travels.