Finally an answer to the toilet swirl question

Does water swirl in the opposite direction in different hemispheres? The short answer is yes, due to the Coriolis effect.

The much longer answer has been explained by two YouTubers who synchronised their videos, with one reporting from the Southern hemisphere and the other from the Northern hemisphere.

You may have to spend a bit of time fumbling with the play button but it's worth watching these two together. The synchronisation begins from 27 seconds in. To see the videos side-by-side as Smarter Every Day and Veritasium intended, you can click here,

Essentially, while the Coriolis effect is real there are many variables which will affect it, which means that a toilet in Australia wont't always flush clockwise or counter-clockwise.

More: This weather phenomenon in Australia will haunt your nightmares