Letter: Letters: Equatorial Salford

From D. A. LEWIS

An animated, lunchtime discussion of the Coriolis force in a northern
grammar school staff room in the late 1950s led to hypothesis testing (Comment,
14 August and Letters, 7 August, 11 and 25 September).

With identical (size, configuration, volume) wash basins in the rooms
on either side of the staff room, two colleagues were deputed to insert
the plug and fill one basin in each room with cold water, which was allowed
to stand for several minutes to damp down any vortex set up while filling
the basin.

Watches were synchronised and the two operatives sent back to pull the
plugs – in a gentle fashion, to reduce the chance that this would set up
a vortex.

Vortices were observed. Their form led to the conclusion that: the equator
ran through Salford – in a direction roughly north to south.

D. A. Lewis Norwich