The carioles effect is the scientific phenomenon in which moving objects, air and water currents move in curves and spirals due to the earth’s rotation.
The earth is now known to rotate (spin) as well as orbit the sun at the same time. Let me therefore establish from the Holy Quran this same phenomenon that was discovered by Galile more than four hundred years ago. From the Holy Book we read:” And thou seest the mountains, which thou thinkestto be firmly fixed, they move as the clouds move – the handwork of Allah. Who has made everything perfect ” (Quran 27:89). The verse means that based on age old observations we are convinced beyond all doubt that mountains are such firmly fixed in the earth that they do not move. Yet the reality is that they movecontrary to human observations.
Imagine an astronaut shot into space in a rocket, where he temporarily makes the rocket motionless. He then focuses his telescope on, say mount, Everest in India. He will see the mountain moving along the direction in which the earth spins. When he returns to earth in the same space capsule he will see the same mountain and the earth motionless. If someone were to swear that mountains are motionless, should he agree?
Emphatically no. In effect the situation back on earth is like a man in a windowless lift with no electronic devices to indicate the direction of movements. Such a man can never tell as to whether he is moving up or down. The wide expanse of the earth bounded on all sides by the horizon is like the windowless lift. Detection of its movements by human beings from the same earth becomes difficult, except from space. If therefore mountains move as established from the above, then that is the Quranic argument that the earth on which the mountain is fixed also moves. That mountains form part and parcel of the earth come from the Quranic revelation: And we have placed in the earth firm mountains (Rawaasi) lest it should quake with them” (Quran 21:31). The Quranic phrase in the verse under discussion (They move as the clouds move), actually mean that just as the clouds move with given velocities, so does the earth moves with a given velocity . The current value of the speed of the earth is 30km per second (Astronomy). But from the above little discussion can be appreciated the fact that the 20th century of scientific and technical excellence is the most appropriate time for the discovery of those scientific phenomena enshrined in the Holy Book. For the fact that scientific measuringequipment have been developed to pin-point accuracy.
Next let me pay attention to the following beautifully couched scientific verse from the Quran:” And in the change of the winds and the clouds pressed into service between the heaven and the earth – are indeed signs for a people who use their understanding ” (Quran 2:165). It is winds that move clouds. By change in winds the Quran is referring to changes in their direction and in the quantum of winds that move. We can at this stage imagine, from the Quranic perspective, air hemmed in between the lowest limit of the heaven and the earth with the latter moving in an anticlockwise direction from the west to the east. There is bound to be a secondary motion observed in the air and clouds. Since the air is in contact with the earth.
The cariolis effect as defined from the onset of the discussion is the effect of the earth’s rotation on moving objects, air (clouds) and water currents. Sucha phenomenon comes from the following observations that if you fire a ball from a canon from the equator towards the northern hemisphere (See fig 2) the path of the ball is along a curve to theright. Similarly, if you fire a ball from a cannon from the canon from the equator towards the southern hemisphere the ball sweaves to the west (left) (fig 2). There appears to be a fictitious force pushing the ball away from its straight path to the east and west respectively. Scientists call this fictitious force the cariolis effect and is most pronounced in air, clouds and water currents.
In hurricanes, for example, air moves from high pressure areas in the atmosphere to low pressure areas near the earth’s surface or the surface of oceans. Aerial pictures of the movement of such hurricanes reveal them as spirals.
The following Quranic verse is most indicative of the carioliseffect: ”He it is who enables you to journey through the land and sea until when you are on board the ship and they sail with a fair breeze (Riihtayyiba) and they rejoice in it, there overtakes them (theships) a hurricanes (Riihaasif) and the waves come on them from every side and they think that they are encompassed … ” (Quran 10:23). The above Quranic scenario aptly describes a calm sea and a violent sea and what subsequently happens to ships that sail on it. When the heat of sunshine is average there is not much water evaporation from the sea’s surface. Hence there is not much in pressure reduction.
The result is that the quantum of air that rushes from the atmosphere or high pressure areas to the surface of the ocean is moderate to account for the fair breeze. This contracts vividly with when the sun is hot and sunny with lots of evaporation occurring from the sea’s surface to create a low pressure zone. Large amounts of air then rushes from the high pressure areas to the ocean’ssurface (low pressure) in curves or spirals. This spiral movement of air directly affects movement of water in the sea resulting in waves ”coming on them from every side’ ‘according to the Quran. Meaning that the waves come on them in the form of a circle.
Earth’s rotation affects movement of air, clouds and water in oceans, constraining them to move in spirals. Surely Allah knows best.
Conclusion:
The Quran discusses the earth’s movement, wind movement and carioles effect.
KHALID KOFI AHMAD
