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The direction in which water swirls down a drain is determined by the Coriolis effect, which is caused by the rotation of the Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere, water tends to swirl clockwise due to this effect, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it swirls counterclockwise. However, the Coriolis effect is very weak on small scales, so factors such as the shape of the drain and the way the water enters it can also influence the direction of the swirl.

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