0
Tornadoes rotate because of several principles of Hydromechanics operating at the same time. Hydromechanics is the branch of physics that deals with forces acting upon and within fluids. I'll explain it as simply as possible:
Inertia - If I throw a Baseball, it will continue to go in a straight line forever until it hits something. This is Inertia. The air molecules are like trillions of little baseballs. Imagine millions of people throwing baseballs in one direction. And millions of others throwing baseballs in a different direction. This is kind of like Wind. But don't forget that wind has inertia too. This wind will continue on in one direction forever unless it hits another stream of wind or an object.
Ok so we have wind, why would it rotate?
Collision Mechanics - If you take two perfectly round Bowling balls and roll them toward each other, they will collide and the two bowling balls will change direction on collision. Most likely they will not hit perfectly head-on so one ball will veer to the left and other will veer to the right. Think about the change in direction of one of the bowling balls. It was traveling in a straight line, then suddenly the ball veered off to the left. The bowling ball performed part of a rotation, it did part of a circle. Why did the bowling ball change direction? Because it hit the other bowling ball. This is the origin of the rotation for the tornado.
Ok so air molecules bounce off each other, wouldn't all the collisions just annihilate each other randomly?
Friction - If you take the palms of your hands and press them together and slide back and forth, you will feel resistance because of friction. If you place some pens in between your hands, the pen will ROTATE and there will be less friction. When one stream of wind collides with another stream of wind from another direction, rotation occurs, like the pencil, because of friction between the streams.
Ok, so there is spinning like the pencil, but why does the spout go vertical?
Minimization of low pressure area - The source of the low pressure comes from above, due to the collision/rotation of streams of wind. The tube of rotation begins horizontally, but changes into a vertical position because it minimizes the distance between the source of fuel for the tornado and the lowest resistance area to satisfy that vacuum. The ground has things like trees rocks, and trailers to slow down the vortex rotation. The area right above the ground is like a magnet for the tornado. The high pressure air at ground level is trying to get inside to the tornado. The best place to do this is at its point of least rotation: the ground where the air is slowed down due to trailers in the way.
Ok Genius! But why would the tornado stay spinning and actually SPEED UP after formation?
Centrifugal force - If you put 10 people on a merry go round and and have them hold on tight, and spin it fast, the people will feel a force pulling the people toward the center of the merry go round. The people on the merry go round do not fly away in a straight line because they grip onto the spinning disc. The tornado is like a Merri go round, and the rotating air molecules spin in a circle. The air molecules have a tendency to fly off in a straight line away from the vortex, but are held in place because of an exceptionally low air-pressure in the center of the vortex. The energy that fuels the tornado comes from the pressure differential between the inside and the outside of the tornado.
OK so the duality of forces, maintains the spin, why does it spin faster?
Conservation of angular momentum - If you stand up, and stretch your arms out to the side, and spin in place, and while spinning you pull your arms to your chest, you will find it difficult to pull your arms in because of Centrifugal force. However if you pull really hard, your body will suddenly rotate much faster because of the conservation of angular momentum. In the tornado, the air molecules (like your hands) want to travel in a circle, into the center because there is low pressure in there. There is a problem, the air molecules are traveling in a circle! So when the air molecule is pushed inward by other rude air molecules trying to get inside, the first molecule will rotate in a smaller circle at higher velocity. The low pressure inside the tornado receives more air, which causes the tornado to rotate faster.
What makes tornados so difficult to understand is that the principles that form them are not the same principles that maintain them.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Do tornadoes rotate clockwise?
Nearly all tornadoes in the southern hemisphere do. However in the northern hemisphere most tornadoes rotate counterclockwise. A small percentage of tornadoes rotate opposite of what is normal for their hemisphere. These are called anticyclonic tornadoes.
Do tornadoes rotate counterclockwise?
Most tornadoes (about 99%) in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise. But most in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise.
What direction do tornadoes rotate in the northern hemishpere?
The vast majority of tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise.
Does a tornado rotate clockwise or counter clockwise?
In most cases, tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise while those in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise. A few tornadoes, accounting for about 1 tornado in every thousand, will rotate in the "wrong" direction. These are called anticyclonic tornadoes.
What direction do tornadoes twist in the southern hemisphere?
The vast majority of southern hemisphere tornadoes rotate clockwise. A small percentage rotate counterclockwise.
Do tornadoes rotate clockwise?
Nearly all tornadoes in the southern hemisphere do. However in the northern hemisphere most tornadoes rotate counterclockwise. A small percentage of tornadoes rotate opposite of what is normal for their hemisphere. These are called anticyclonic tornadoes.
Which way do tornadoes rotate?
Tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise while those in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Do tornadoes rotate counterclockwise?
Most tornadoes (about 99%) in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise. But most in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise.
What direction do tornadoes rotate in the northern hemishpere?
The vast majority of tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise.
Do tornadoes rotate clockwise or counterclockwise?
In all but the rarest cases, tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise, while ones in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Which way do hurricanes and tornadoes rotate in the Northern Hemisphere?
All hurricanes and most tornadoes rotate counterclockwise.
Do tornadoes only go counter clockwise?
No, most tornadoes in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise. Additionally, some tornadoes, called anticyclonic tornadoes, rotate clockwise in the northern hemisphere. Fewer than 1% of tornadoes are anticyclonic.
Do tornadoes rotate vertically?
Yes.
Do tornadoes go clockwise?
The vast moajirty of tornadoes in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise, but most in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise.
Does a tornado rotate clockwise or counter clockwise?
In most cases, tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise while those in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise. A few tornadoes, accounting for about 1 tornado in every thousand, will rotate in the "wrong" direction. These are called anticyclonic tornadoes.
Do most tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate in a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction?
Most tornadoes in the northern hemisphere, at least 99%, rotate counterclockwise.
What direction do tornadoes twist in the southern hemisphere?
The vast majority of southern hemisphere tornadoes rotate clockwise. A small percentage rotate counterclockwise.
