Buys Ballot's law

noun

Buys Bal·​lot's law
ˈbīsbəˈläts-,
ˈbȯis-
: a law in meteorology: when an observer's back is to the wind the lower barometric pressure is to the observer's left in the northern hemisphere and to the observer's right in the southern hemisphere owing to rotation of the earth

Word History

Etymology

after C.H.D. Buys Ballot †1890 Dutch meteorologist

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Cite this Entry

“Buys Ballot's law.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Buys%20Ballot%27s%20law. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

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