Toilet swirls

Dear Editor:Contrary to a recent letter, my local Downey toilet swirls clockwise; maybe I'm in a "parallel universe." ("Fascination With Toilets," Letters to the Editor, 1/9/14) Yes, there was a French scientist named Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis. Yes, there is a Coriolis Effect having to do with rotating bodies. Yes, this effect is a large factor int he different rotations of storms in Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Yes, this effect is a factor in the rotation of water as it drains from a vessel. But that factor is infinitely small compared to all other factors. In the case of toilets, the major rotational factor is the pointing angle of holes through which the water passes as it enters the bowl. Any Northern Hemisphere toilet that is relocated to the Southern Hemisphere will have its drainage circulation in the same direction. This information can be verified very easily from the articles returned by giving the search-argument "coriolis" to better internet search engines everywhere -- like Google. Hugh T. Hoskins Downey

********** Published: Jan. 16, 2014 - Volume 12 - Issue 40