Southward Deflection of Falling Bodies

The southward deflection of falling bodies is a historical controversy in mechanics that N. A. Kozyrev reframes, in his September 1967 paper, as evidence for his proposed time-pattern force. The question is whether a freely falling body is deflected southward (as well as eastward) by the Earth's rotation and related effects.

Historical sequence cited in the paper

• Robert Hooke — falling-body experiments in January 1680, conducted at Newton's behest, which led Hooke to conclude that a falling body deflects not only eastward but also southward.
• Reich — drop tests in the Freiburg mine shafts (1832): l = 158 m, Δl_s = 4.4 mm south, Δl_o = 28.4 mm east. Kozyrev's Eq. (12) gives ΔQ_N/Q = 2.8 × 10⁻⁵ at L = 48°.
• Hagen — Vatican Atwood-machine experiment (1912), which gave a null southward result. Kozyrev argues this does not refute the effect, because on an Atwood machine the southward deflection during acceleration equals 1/25 of the free-fall value, i.e. should be reduced 25-fold.
• Gauss — Göttingen Learned Review (1831), p. 635, cited in the same context.

Assessment

Kozyrev's reinterpretation depends on his own time-pattern force and on Eq. (12), which is derived from his premises. The historical measurements are cited but not reproduced in the source. See Earth Cardioid Asymmetry.