 for a body at the equator moving east relative to Earth's surface.

rface. It would move upward as seen by an observer on the surface. This effect (see Eötvös effect below) was discussed
by Galileo Galilei in 1632 and by Riccioli in 1651.[22]

 if the velocity is against the direction of rotation, the Coriolis force is inward to the axis. For example, on Earth, this situation occurs for a body at the equator moving west, which
would deflect downward as seen by an observer.

Intuitive explanation[edit]
For an intuitive explanation of the origin of the Coriolis force, consider an object, constrained to follow the Earth's surface and moving northward in the Northern Hemisphere. Viewed
from outer space, the object does not appear to go due north, but has an eastward motion (it rotates around toward the right along with the surface of the Earth). The further north it travels,
the smaller the "radius of its parallel (latitude)" (the minimum distance from the surface point to the axis of rotation, which is in a plane orthogonal to the axis), and so the slower the
eastward motion of its surface. As the object moves north, to higher latitudes, it has a tendency to maintain the eastward speed it started with (rather than slowing down to match the
reduced eastward speed of local objects on the Earth's surface), so it veers east (i.e. to the right of its initial motion). [23][24]

Though not obvious from this example, which considers northward motion, the horizontal deflection occurs equally for objects moving eastward or westward (or in any other direction).
[25]
 However, the theory that the effect determines the rotation of draining water in a typical size household bathtub, sink or toilet has been repeatedly disproven by modern-day scientists;
the force is negligibly small compared to the many other influences on the rotation. [26][27][28]

Length scales and the Rossby number[edit]

Further information: Rossby number

The time, space, and velocity scales are important in determining the importance of the Coriolis force. Whether rotation is important in a system can be determined by its Rossby number,

which is the ratio of the velocity, U, of a system to the product of the Coriolis parameter,  , and the length scale, L, of the motion:

Hence, it is the ratio of inertial to Coriolis forces; a small Rossby number indicates a system is strongly affected by Coriolis forces, and a large Rossby number indicates a system
in which inertial forces dominate. For example, in tornadoes, the Rossby number is large, so in them the Coriolis force is negligible, and balance is between pressure and
centrifugal forces. In low-pressure systems the Rossby number is low, as the centrifugal force is negligible; there, the balance is between Coriolis and pressure forces. In oceanic
systems the Rossby number is often around 1, with all three forces comparable. [29]

An atmospheric system moving at U = 10 m/s (22 mph) occupying a spatial distance of L = 1,000 km (621 mi), has a Rossby number of approximately 0.1.[citation needed]

A baseball pitcher may throw the ball at U = 45 m/s (100 mph) for a distance of L = 18.3 m (60 ft). The Rossby number in this case would be 32,000 (at latitude 31°47'46.382").
[citation needed]

Baseball players don't care about which hemispher