Re: What direction does the water spin in a flushing toilet @ the equator?

Hello, Andy -

The direction that water spins in a flushing toilet is determined by the way the water comes into the toilet; it has nothing to do with where on the planet the toilet is. The Coriolis effect, which affects the directions of trade winds and very large storms, is much too small to affect anything the size of a toilet (or bathtub, or sink). This is quite well explained in the sci.physics FAQ; the relevant link can be found at:

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/bathtub.html

This link even includes a way to calculate how big the effect will be; you can see that to observe it in something as small as a bathtub takes extreme care to make sure the water is completely still before draining the tub. With a toilet, the water coming in when you flush will already have some rotational motion; this will easily overwhelm any Coriolis effect.