ferrel_hadley t1_jdlevi1 wrote on March 25, 2023 at 6:50 AM

Reply to comment by HeebieMcJeeberson in If earth was a smooth sphere, which direction would water flow when placed on the surface? by Axial-Precession

>On a smooth dry sphere it would flow toward the equator.

For a start there is no water on a dry sphere. Then there would be a slight centrifugal tug pulling water more towards the equator but Coriolis would be the dominant force.

mfb- t1_jdln9ub wrote on March 25, 2023 at 8:54 AM

No, the Coriolis force is only a secondary effect from water moving towards the equator. That "slight" centrifugal force makes the equatorial radius of Earth 20 km larger than the polar radius, so if you use a perfect sphere and water equivalent to our oceans then all the water would be in a broad region around the equator and nothing would be at the poles.

wegqg t1_jdmde4w wrote on March 25, 2023 at 1:55 PM

This is a really smart answer ^

HeebieMcJeeberson t1_jdx1mxl wrote on March 27, 2023 at 8:34 PM

Mom: "How do you like your new shirt?"

ferrel_hadley: "For a start it's not new if I'm already wearing it."

Mom: "Go to your room."