ScienceJuly 16, 2026

coriolis

ˌkɔːriˈoʊlɪs

Definition

An inertial force that causes moving objects, such as air currents, to veer to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere due to a planet's rotation.

Etymology

Named after Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, the 19th-century French mathematician who first mathematically described the force in 1835. It entered scientific English as a standard term for describing dynamics in rotating reference frames.

In the news

The article explains that the Coriolis effect is a fundamental physical force governing the large-scale atmospheric motions on Saturn, helping to sustain the planet's unique hexagonal jet stream.

Saturn has a six-sided storm system wider than Earth, and scientists still cannot fully explain why its perfect shape refuses to disappear

Read the full article ↗

Space Daily

Related words

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.

Not for marketing. One email on launch day.