AFAIK, the Meteor rotates the same way as the Merlin. It’s the reduction gear fitted to the Merlin that reverses the rotation and the Meteor doesn’t have one.

No, they do rotate in opposite directions, the reduction gear making it appear as though they are the same! Looking on the drive end of the crankshaft, i.e from front to back, the Meteor rotates anti clockwise. The Merlin is clockwise, the reduction gear giving an anti clockwise rotation to the prop. I’ve just checked a Meteor to make sure I wasn’t talking rubbish…..!

Me too….
The larger the diameter, the greater the circumference and therefore the higher the tip speed for any given rpm . At 600 rpm, for example, each blade is completing 10 revolutions per second. If it has to travel further on a large prop than a small one, it has to travel faster to achieve the number of revolutions.

AFAIK, the reason this affects Harvards particularly is the engine is un-geared, i.e. no reduction gearing, though this is not uncommon on other, smaller radials and not all Harvards have the same engine.