Brain Teasers
Kebab Kidnap
Mad Ade was kidnapped by the K.L.F (Kebab Liberation Federation), and taken to a hideout. From overheard conversation, he knew he was either in London, England or in Sydney, Australia. He was drugged by using a decoy Kebab and transported, and when he came to, he had been locked in a room with no windows or other way to see outside. There was a table, a bed, a chair, and a sink in the room, but nothing else. However, Mad Ade was able to easily figure out which city he was in. How did Mad Ade do it?
Answer
Since water drains counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere (London), and clockwise in the southern hemisphere (Sidney), Mad Ade simply put some water in the sink and watched which way it drained.Hide Answer Show Answer
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Comments
very clever.
i'm still skeptical about the truth behind the coriolis effect (the force which causes differing rotations in the N and S hemispheres). from the literature i've read, there the force should be too insignificant to have any impact on the direction of rotation in a sink or toilet and is contingent more on other factors, like currents and sink construction/shape. it seems many scientists believe this to be an urban legend. do you know of any actual studies on this? of course, i am on the internet right now and could look it up myself!!! =)
Call this negitive if you like, but I agree with blue, try this link: http://www.maztravel.com/maz/explain/coriolis.html
I don't think you could notice this effect. Aerodynamics of a sink or toilet will have overall influence.
I don't think you could notice this effect. Aerodynamics of a sink or toilet will have overall influence.
In that case I must remember to phone my old school and tell them to sack my old physics teacher for teaching this theory to numerous classes over many years. I shall also sue the local education authority for the inconvenience it has caused in later life.
so which way does it go if you are on the equator?
Mad-Ade, I'd like to remind you that these previous commenters were not looking for a sharp barbed retort. They may have read different material than you have heard, and they may have wrong material, or you may have wrong material. I wouldn't know, as I don't know where everyone is coming from (meaning, I don't know the teacher you had, and I don't know what material they have read.) I think that their comments hardly deserved a stinging remark. I did, however, think the teaser was pretty good.
Sorry it read as a stinging remark, it wasn't meant to be, it was just a touch of silly humour to try and defuse any argument that could have broke out over the legitimacy of the Coriolis effect
my math teacher told me no matter which hempisphere you are in the water will never go in the opposite direction. Its just a old tale that has no truth to it whatsoever.
hey, no offense taken from me... i have also heard this many times (a particular episode of the simpsons in australia comes to mind) and welcome the discussion.
although your teacher was correct in teaching you this, the difference in a sink which drains well is so minimal as to be undetectable. it only become apparrent with poor plumbibg. nice teaser though.
Even if the Coriolis effect were useable here,
shouldn't this be in Science rather than Logic?
shouldn't this be in Science rather than Logic?
As far as I know, there is sufficient effect to view the difference, if you have a sufficient water supply to view and can use some other item/medium to see the flow down the drain. (spit bubbles, lint from bed). I was taught this in school too. Also, my understanding is that on the equator, it would flush straight down without any swirl in either direction.
I have spent significant time in both hemisheres and have observed this effect. Whatever the real cause, it consistently happens.
I've been thorugh this a number of times, in physics class and the real world. What the effect boils down to is that the Coriolis force is of very small magnitude in something as small as a toilet or sink ... *unless* the container and assciated plumbing has been manufactured to laboratory tolerances of symmetry.
Yes, you could observe the effect in a well-engineered sink. However, the small variations in the faucet and drain of virtually all sinks introduce variations far in excess of the Coriolis force. Many toilets have their inflows purposely set at an angle to improve the rinsing power.
I've also observed the effect in both hemispheres, and once went so far as to examine the inside of an Australian toilet (before installation). The manufacturer had installed the inflow to point in the opposite direction. I wonder if they feel a need to support the urban legend?
Mad-Ade, your teachers will be behind a couple of mine in the unemployment line. Then again, my third-grade teacher didn't believe in negative numbers.
Yes, you could observe the effect in a well-engineered sink. However, the small variations in the faucet and drain of virtually all sinks introduce variations far in excess of the Coriolis force. Many toilets have their inflows purposely set at an angle to improve the rinsing power.
I've also observed the effect in both hemispheres, and once went so far as to examine the inside of an Australian toilet (before installation). The manufacturer had installed the inflow to point in the opposite direction. I wonder if they feel a need to support the urban legend?
Mad-Ade, your teachers will be behind a couple of mine in the unemployment line. Then again, my third-grade teacher didn't believe in negative numbers.
good teaser, fun!
A good thought, even though I don't think that the direction thing really works. However, I still knew that people think that water drains different directions, and was able to guess the answer!
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