In
physics, the
Coriolis force is an
inertial force (also called a fictitious force) acting on objects which are in motion relative to a
rotating reference frame. In a reference frame with clockwise rotation, the force acts to the left of the motion of the object; in one with anticlockwise rotation, the force acts to the right. Although recognized previously by others, the mathematical expression for the Coriolis force appeared in an 1835 paper by French scientist
Gaspard-Gustave de Coriolis, in connection with the theory of
water wheels. Early in the 20th century, the term
Coriolis force began to be used in connection with
meteorology. Deflection of an object due to the Coriolis force is called the 'Coriolis effect'.