Final answer:
The Coriolis deflection of a vertically thrown particle is opposite in direction and four times greater when it falls back to the ground compared to when it is dropped from rest due to the difference in horizontal velocities related to Earth's rotation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question deals with the Coriolis effect in a physics context, specifically focusing on the deflection of a particle thrown up vertically and the comparison with a particle dropped from rest. We can analyze the deflection caused by the Coriolis force on a particle moving in a two-dimensional projectile motion relative to Earth's rotation. It states that the deflection when the particle falls back to the ground is opposite in direction and four times greater in magnitude than when the particle is dropped at rest from the same maximum height.
Two independent one-dimensional motions, vertical and horizontal, describe the motion of the particle. Horizontal motion is uniform because the horizontal acceleration (ax) is zero. However, the vertical motion exhibits a change in velocity: positive during ascent, zero at the peak, and negative during descent. The Coriolis force depends on the velocity of the moving object and acts perpendicular to the motion and the rotation axis of Earth. For an object thrown upwards, the initial upward velocity ensures a certain Coriolis deflection upon ascent. Due to Earth's rotation, when the object falls back down, it has a higher horizontal velocity compared to when it was at rest. Thus, the Coriolis deflection is larger.