Questions for the Librarian Helen's quest for the October 16 show: From Juda in Seattle, Washington If water travels down the drain clock wise in the northern hemisphere and counter clockwise in the southern hemisphere, how does water run down the drain at the equator? Ira Flatow, host of NPR's Talk of the Nation - Science Friday, wrote a book called Rainbows, Curveballs and other Wonders pf the Natural World Explained. In the chapter "Tornado in the Drain", Ira Flatow discusses the Coriolis Effect which describes the motion of an object in a rotating system, and this definitely applies to water. The force of the Coriolis effect at the equator is zero, which basically means that water will run straight down. Although some scientists argue if this is actually correct or not, results of two equatorial observations did indicate that the water goes straight down the drain at the equator. Also I was watching Michael Palin's Full Circle. He took a trip to the equator to a country in west Africa, where there was a clear line with a sign that said "This is exact spot of the equator". On both sides of the line there were tubs filled with water as well as a third tub directly on the line. The tub in north of the equator drained clockwise, the tub south of the equator drained counter-clockwise and in the tub directly on the equator the water drained straight down. http://www.kuow.org/rewind/archives/101698.htm