I'm on Zanzibar!

[Tally]

Hello!

 

Today I am posting from Zanzibar!

 

I have been on safari in Tanzania, and camped for 3 nights in the Serengeti National Park! We've seen all sorts of animals, and I promise to post photos when I get home.

 

It is very hot here, so we are just relaxing and enjoying the sun.

 

The best thing is that we are in the southern hemisphere, where the water swirls anticlockwise down the plughole!

 

I do miss my own, familiar toilet, and my cats, but it's been wonderful seeing all the animals.

[Bagpuss]

Tally, it sounds so great...can't wait till you get back and hopefully post pics

[Clare63]

Tally,

How exciting a post from Zanzibar....bet that's a first for the forum !

Hope you continue to have a great time.

Clare x x x

[Eva]

Hi Tally,

 

welcome to the Southern Hemisphere!

 

You mean the water goes clockwise down plugholes where you come from?! How bizarre the Northern Hemisphere is!

 

Have a great time!

 

Cheers,

Eva

[hev]

tally how brlliant is that,cant wait to see the photos

[Kathryn]

Fantastic, Tally, enjoy the rest of your time there.

 

All the time I lived in the southern half - I never thought to check the plugholes. What happens to the water if you are on the equator, I wonder?

 

K x

[bikergal]

Glad you're having a great time Tally. Can't wait to see the pics!

[Tally]

Sadly, we were too close to the equator for any water swirling of any kind

 

But that really was the only disappointment. I am pleased to be home now, but I can't believe all the animals I got to see!

[Clare63]

Sadly, we were too close to the equator for any water swirling of any kind

 

But that really was the only disappointment. I am pleased to be home now, but I can't believe all the animals I got to see!

 

 

Tally,

 

Welcome back home, would love to hear all about your adventures.

 

Clare x x x

[Frangipani]

Hi Tally,

 

welcome to the Southern Hemisphere!

 

You mean the water goes clockwise down plugholes where you come from?! How bizarre the Northern Hemisphere is!

 

Have a great time!

 

Cheers,

Eva

 

I just checked it does go anti clockwise here so does it really swirl clockwise in the northern hemisphere, some please check

 

[Bard]

I just checked it does go anti clockwise here so does it really swirl clockwise in the northern hemisphere, some please check

 

 

From our research station in Sussex, we have established that water swirls clockwise when going down the plughole.

We have rigorously tested tap water downstairs, bath water upstairs, with and without bubbles.

If you swirl the water anti-clockwise, then it gets a bit confused, but sorts itself out in its preferred direction.

[Mumble]

From our research station in Sussex, we have established that water swirls clockwise when going down the plughole.

We have rigorously tested tap water downstairs, bath water upstairs, with and without bubbles.

If you swirl the water anti-clockwise, then it gets a bit confused, but sorts itself out in its preferred direction.

I hate to upset lots of people (really ) but what you're all describing is a common scientific misconception sometimes labelled as the "coriolis effect". Water does not flow in different directions due to the particular hemisphere you may be in, nor does it go straight down the plug hole at the equator because of a lack of magnetic pull. Logically the coriolis effect cannot be what happens in bath draining - if it was, the water would go anticlockwise in the Northan hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere.

 

Water flow direction is determined by a multitude of factors including the direction the water comes in from, the shape and angle of the plug hole, the shape and angles in the sink/bath/toilet etc. It is quite possible to reverse the flow of water (as Bard's research station showed) and sometimes this will remain but will often go back because of these other factors.