An apparent force (hence the abbreviation to Cor F) acting on moving objects that results from the Earth’s rotation. It causes objects in motion, including oceanic and atmospheric currents, to be deflected to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the southern hemisphere by an amount that varies with latitude and the speed of the moving body. The changing magnitude of the Cor F with latitude is given by the Coriolis parameter: 2Ω‎ sinφ‎, where Ω‎ is the angular velocity of the Earth (7.29 × 10⁻⁵ rad/s) and φ‎ is the latitude. Since sin 0 = 0 and sin 90 = 1, the Cor F varies from zero at the equator to a maximum at the poles. When the speed of the body is taken into account, Cor F = 2Ω‎ sinφ‎v, where v is the speed. It was first described in 1835 by the French physicist and engineer Gustave de Coriolis (1792–1843).