Science

I’m not generally that interested in scientific phenomena (picture my fingers indicating quotation marks in the air), but here’s something for those that like that kind of thing.

Question: If water spins in one direction as it drains in the Northern Hemisphere and spins in the opposite direction in the Southern Hemisphere, which direction does it drain right on the Equator?

Answer: It goes straight down without spinning at all.

Each trip I take to Kampala is a “trans-hemispherical” experience (I’m quite aware that isn’t actually a word!), and I had the opportunity to witness this phenomenon last week as we stopped at The Equator en route to the capital city. Over the years enterprising individuals have capitalized on the novelty of having this significant line of latitude run through the nation. They’ve painted a yellow line across the road indicating zero degrees and set up a place for people to have their photos taken. There are also several craft stalls in the area that sell souvenirs and a coffee shop that serves lattes and cappuccinos as well as freshly baked muffins and cookies (a distinctly “northern” menu that is rather ironically located on the south side of the line!)

Another interesting feature of this little tourist trap is the three basins that have been set up to show the water draining phenomenon—one on the Northern Hemisphere side, one on the Southern Hemisphere side, and one directly on the line. I watched a demonstration in the three basins, and it was pretty cool to see that the effect works so close to the actual line and also to realize that the water doesn’t spin at all right at zero degrees!

Perhaps I’ve been a bit starved for entertainment lately, or maybe Science is interesting after all!