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Moon & Tides. By Diana L. Duckworth Rustburg High School Campbell County, VA. Cause of Tides. Gravitational attraction of Sun & Moon for Earth & its water Sun is larger but is farther away than Moon F= Gm 1 m 2 /r 2 indicates that distance has a greater impact on gravity
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Moon & Tides By Diana L. Duckworth Rustburg High School Campbell County, VA
Cause of Tides • Gravitational attraction of Sun & Moon for Earth & its water • Sun is larger but is farther away than Moon • F= Gm1m2/r2 indicates that distance has a greater impact on gravity • Moon affects tides to greater extent than Sun
Equilibrium tides on water covered Earth Low tide • Mass of Moon pulls water toward moon & pulls Earth away from water on opposite side • Creates two tidal bulges • Direct high tide under moon • Indirect high tide away from moon • Low tides are in between Moon NP Direct high tide Indirect high tide Low tide Earth rotates through 2 high and 2 low tides a day!
Timing of Tides • Moon is at highest point 50 minutes later each day • High tides come when moon is overhead & 12 hours & 25 minutes later • Tides come 50 minutes later each day • 24 hrs &50 minutes between successive direct tides • 12 hrs & 25 minutes between high tide & next high tide • 6 hrs &12.5 minutes from high tide to low tide
Kinds of tides • On a water covered earth two high & two low tides would occur each day - semidiurnal tides as on U.S. East Coast • Continents get in way, so two other kinds of tides • Diurnal - one high & one low tide each day • Gulf of Mexico • Mixed - mostly semidiurnal but diurnal occasionally as on U.S. West Coast
Tides Correlated with Moon Phases • Spring tides - 2 weeks apart • Largest tidal range of month • Occur when Sun & Moon both pull on the high tides • Largest range during New Moon • Next largest range during Full Moon Sun Earth New Moon Earth Sun Full Moon
Tides Correlate with Moon Phases • Neap Tides • Two weeks apart • Low tidal ranges • Sun pulls on low tides • Moon pulls on high tides • Occur during 1st & Last Quarter Moons First Quarter High Sun Low Low High Last Quarter
Other factors affecting tides • Because distance is factor in gravity, • height of tides affected by apogee & perigee of moon • also by aphelion & perihelion of Earth • Greatest tidal range would occur when Earth is in perihelion & Moon is at perigee during New Moon Phase!