O efeito de Coriolis: de pêndulos a moléculas

Abstract

Recebido em 18/9/09; aceito em 18/2/10; publicado na web em 10/6/10 THE CORIOLIS EFFECT: FROM PENDULUMS TO MOLECULES. Coriolis force is an effect which arises in rotating reference frames such as the Earth. This force influences large oceanic motions, atmospheric inertial circles, horizontal and vertical deviations in moving bodies. The Foucault's pendulum is another special case about the Coriolis force influence on macroscopic processes. This pendulum is an example of how experimental sciences can be essential for philosophical and social changes, since it was crucial to prove the Earth's rotation. The Coriolis force has an important role also at microscopic level; it couples vibrational and rotational molecular motions and this fact has consequences in spectroscopic and energetic molecular processes. These points are discussed in this paper.