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Mearskii
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Homework Statement
A parcel of air initially moves northward at a speed of 10 m/s at 45°S. After two hours, determine the new northward speed.
Homework Equations
Energy of a parcel= u^2+v^2
The Coriolis force accelerates a parcel such that, du/dt=fv and dv/dt=-fu
where f=2Ωsin[itex]\varphi[/itex] [itex]\varphi[/itex] =latitude and Ω=angular velocity of earth
The Attempt at a Solution
My first question about this problem is in regards to what it is asking for. It says to find the new northward speed of the parcel, however the Coriolis force only changes direction, not speed. So I then considered that the northward component of speed would change and that must be what the question is asking for. But then I thought about how speed is a scalar, not a vector, so there would be no "northward component" of speed because there simply aren't speed vectors. Please correct me if I'm wrong.