Coriolis, Gaspard-Gustave
Published: April 7, 2010, 6:47 pm
Updated: September 21, 2010, 10:26 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Tom Lawrence Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis (1792-1843) was a French mathematician and physicist who discovered the Coriolis effect (also known as the Coriolis force) in 1835 that governs the movements of
winds in the atmosphere and
currents in the ocean. Coriolis showed that the laws of motion could be used in a rotating frame of reference if an extra force, called the Coriolis acceleration, is added to the equations of motion. The theorem enunciated by Coriolis regarding relative motions has found numerous applications, particularly in the case of motion on the surface of the Earth (e.g., the deviation toward the east of falling bodies, the apparent rotation of the plane of vibration of a Foucault pendulum, etc.). As a Professor of mechanics at several French universities, Coriolis was the first to derive formulas expressing kinetic
energy and mechanical work. He established the use of the word 'work' as a technical term in mechanics, defining it in terms of the displacement of force through a certain distance.
Further Reading
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Coriolis, Gaspard-Gustave". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth April 7, 2010; Last revised Date September 21, 2010; Retrieved May 25, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Coriolis,_Gaspard-Gustave>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis (1792-1843) was a French mathematician and physicist who discovered the Coriolis effect (also known as the Coriolis force) in 1835 that governs the movements of
winds in the atmosphere and
currents in the ocean. Coriolis showed that the laws of motion could be used in a rotating frame of reference if an extra force, called the Coriolis acceleration, is added to the equations of motion. The theorem enunciated by Coriolis regarding relative motions has found numerous applications, particularly in the case of motion on the surface of the Earth (e.g., the deviation toward the east of falling bodies, the apparent rotation of the plane of vibration of a Foucault pendulum, etc.). As a Professor of mechanics at several French universities, Coriolis was the first to derive formulas expressing kinetic
energy and mechanical work. He established the use of the word 'work' as a technical term in mechanics, defining it in terms of the displacement of force through a certain distance.
Further Reading
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