Coriolis force and predicted effects?

Forum: SSI-List
Thread: Coriolis force and predicted effects?

# 19266 byTed on Feb. 2, 2004, 12:40 a.m.
Member since 2022-08-22

Yeah I found this on the ssi site actually.

http://www.spacefuture.com/archive/inhabiting_artificial_gravity.shtml

It is pretty complex. Read for it for yourself. I think the overall
meaning is you'll notice you are being pulled down by a different type
of gravity. The Coriolis effect would be different with different speeds
of rotation and sizes of habitats. Unless what little I do know about
habitats is wrong. The larger you make it the slower you can spin it to
get workable gravitation, also the less you'd feel you were actually
spinning. So if you're in a colony in space it needs to be somewhat
large for a less disorienting stay. Interplanetary ships will need be
smaller and spin faster to get the same amount of gravity. I forget my
star trek lore as to how the manage to get their magical gravity to
work. That stuff may never be around. The colony described in Enders
Game was sizable, had different floors, had zero G areas, and workout
areas. Playing sports in zero G would be fun - high impact and dangerous
as well - would change motorcross forever. =]

I have a few questions that I hope you won't mind answering,
relating to Coriolis force, and how it would affect normal
activities that people carry out.

I'm thinking that simple little things like placing a pen on a desk
would be very different, you couldn't just drop it down, you'd have
to set it down to prevent it ending up somewhere other than where
you wanted it. And this would affect every object, as well as every
person, aboard, so how would people in space handle everyday
activities in that situation?

Also, how much is known about how Coriolis force would affect such
things as people's physiology, and the way people moved, compared to
the way we 'move' on Earth(possibly silly illustration - our arms
move off to one side, being 'acted on' by C-force, as we swing
them)? Would people be able to 'feel' this force acting on them?

Is Coriolis the only force that would act on people in a space
colony? Would it or any other 'force'(effect of rotation) act in
different ways depending on the size of the space habitat?