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Learn what Coriolis force is, how it affects the motion of objects in a rotating reference frame, and how it differs from centrifugal and Euler forces. See illustrations of Coriolis acceleration and force with a merry-go-round and a ball. The Coriolis effect describes the pattern of deflection taken by objects not firmly connected to the ground as they travel long distances around Earth. The Coriolis effect is responsible for many large-scale weather patterns. The key to the Coriolis effect lies in Earth’s rotation. Specifically, Earth rotates faster at the Equator than it does at the poles. Earth is wider at the Equator, so to make a rotation in one 24-hour period, equatorial regions race nearly 1,600 kilometers (1,000 ... Deflection of an object due to the Coriolis force is called the Coriolis effect. Though recognized previously by others, the mathematical expression for the Coriolis force appeared in an 1835 paper by French scientist Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, in connection with the theory of water wheels. The Coriolis effect is used to describe the Coriolis force experienced by the moving objects such that the force is acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of rotation.