Coriolis Effect

Interactive simulation — adjust parameters and watch the visualization update in real time.

Live graphs

How it works

On a rotating turntable, a puck sliding without real horizontal forces follows a curved path in the platform frame. In an inertial lab frame that path is a straight line; transforming that line into rotating coordinates reproduces the Coriolis and centrifugal effects you feel in the rotating description.

Key equations

a = −2ω×v − ω×(ω×r)  (no real force),   ω = Ωk̂
Components:   a_x = Ω²x + 2Ωv_y,   a_y = Ω²y − 2Ωv_x