Question

Assertion (A): Wind gets deflected to the right, in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere.

Reasoning (R): The earth's rotation is responsible for this.

• A. A is true but R is false.
• B. A is false but R is true.
• C. Both A and R are correct. R is a correct explanation of A.
• D. Both A and R are false.

Answer 1

The correct option is C Both A and R are correct. R is a correct explanation of A.

Coriolis effect tends to deflect moving objects to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern.

The Earth spins on its axis from west to east and is almost spherical. It is wider in the middle near the equator than at the poles. Due to this, objects along the equator are spinning faster than those near the poles. Hence, in the northern hemisphere, winds will get deflected to its right. Whereas, in the Southern Hemisphere, the effect would be the exact opposite. An object travelling from the equator towards the south will get deflected to its left.

​​​​​​​This phenomenon helps us understand the direction of the winds in both the hemispheres.