Question

Now imagine yourself far above the South Pole and looking down on the Earth below. Again, think of the loose card (B) as being part of the Earth's surface and that X represents the South Pole. From this perspective, Earth appears to rotate clockwise. Rotate the loose card clockwise by pulling on the lower-right tab as you draw a line along the cut edge. You can observe that as the pencil point moves along the cut-edge and away from the X, it draws a path on the rotating card that ________.

a) Curves to the left
b) Curves to the right
c) Moves northward
d) Moves southward

Answer 1

When rotating the loose card clockwise while observing the Earth from above the South Pole, a pencil drawing along the cut edge will create a path that (b) curves to the right.

Step-by-step explanation:

When observing the Earth from above the South Pole, it appears to rotate clockwise. By rotating the loose card clockwise while keeping the South Pole represented by X stationary, a pencil drawing along the cut edge will create a path on the rotating card that curves to the right.

This phenomenon can be understood by considering the Coriolis force caused by Earth's rotation. Similar to how a ball follows a curved path on a merry-go-round, the rotation of the Earth causes a Coriolis force that deflects the path of moving objects to the right in the northern hemisphere.

Therefore, as the pencil point moves along the cut edge, it will curve to the right.