Abstract
Expansion in spherical harmonics is used to solve linear equations of flows of homogeneous viscous fluids in a rotating frame. For a truncated series, analytical solutions are obtained for the radial functions. These solutions are used to investigate the modal properties of a viscous incompressible fluid in a spherical shell. The results are compared to the experimental data of Aldridge. The problem of identification of inertial modes in the Earth's outer core is also discussed.