• finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    The Sun rises in the East and sets in the west.

    With East on your right and west on your left you would be facing north.

    You can tell which side of the equator you are on by the way water swirls. Northern Hemisphere water drains clockwise. If water draining has no spin then you’re on the equator.

    Sometimes the moss on trees is enough of an indicator, as moss growing on only one side of a tree means no sunlight reaches it and the moss faces the direction opposite of the equator.

    Join us next time for a lesson on Star Charts.

    • Halosheep@lemm.ee
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      8 days ago

      The water thing is a myth. Any body of water you can actively watch drain is influenced by the shape of the reservoir and direction the water is added to it.

      • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        Hmm

        Looked it up and you might be right. But believing you at face value would also be the same fault that lead to to this myth’s spread.

        • Halosheep@lemm.ee
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          8 days ago

          To be fair I had to look it up too. Seems the Coriolis effect COULD impact a perfectly still container of water that was opened suddenly, but other forces are going to be significantly more impactful on a small body of water.

      • CorvidCawder@sh.itjust.works
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        8 days ago

        What about the videos recorded in Ecuador, where the same reservoir is drained on both sides of the equator and the water spins in different directions?

        Edited to add the link since other users asked for it down in the replies: https://youtu.be/4IIVfoDuVIw

        Edit2: check the replies below, the video is good at debunking this. But it’s not super easy to notice