Can anyone explain the pull of the tides by the moon?

Answer 1

Cedgie is right in that this is not an easy thing to explain without going into some serious math, but I'll give it a shot because it is a very good question.

The first part is pretty easy. The moon pulls on the oceans using gravity. Because the oceans are liquid instead of solid, they more readily respond. So you will always get a high tide in the ocean that is on the same side of the earth as the moon.

The funny thing, though is that you will also get a high tide on the side opposite the moon. Why is that?
The answer to that is where all that math comes into play. I won't bore you with formulas and equations, but instead will try to give a very simplistic example.
Suppose the moon is over Bermuda. The moon's gravity pulls on the earth's oceans enough to raise the Atlantic Ocean, oh, say 3 meters. The moon is also pulling on the earth. And so the moon pulls on the earth with enough gravity to move the earth 2 meter. The moon pulls on the ocean on the opposite side of the earth and let's say it moves that side only 1 meter.
So what you effectively see (because it is relative to the fact that you are standing on the earth) if you are on the shore of the Atlantic is that you will see a 1 meter high tide. (This is because even though the moon pulled the Atlantic up by 3 meters, it also pulled the earth by 2 meters) If you are on the shore of the Pacific, you will also see a 1 meter high tide (again because the moon pulled the earth by 2 meters and the ocean on that side of the earth by only 1 meter)
Now this is not an exact example, but I think it is descriptive enough to make the statement that the tides are not just because of the moon's gravity, but also because of the difference between the moon's gravity on the oceans and the earth.

This difference in gravity is also involved in what causes rings to form around planets. When a body (asteroid or small moon) gets too close to a planet, the difference between the gravity on the near side of that body and the far side of that body will pull the asteroid or moon apart and thus create rings. The point where the gravitational difference is that strong is often referred to as the Roche Limit.

On a side note, (and I am sure if I didn't mention it here, someone else would later) we would do well to remember that tides are caused not only by the moon, but by the sun as well. The moon's influence is much greater than that of the sun but the sun's influence makes a significant contribution. When the moon and the sun are working together (new of full moon), the tides are very high and very low. These are called "spring tides". When the moon and sun are working against each other, (first and third quarter) then the high tide is not very high and the low tide is not very low. These are called "neap tides".

And that is a run-down on tides in a...........sea shell.

Answer 2

The centrifugal force of the orbit is trying to pull the Earth and Moon away from each other; the gravitational attraction is keeping them together (though very, very slowly, they are pulling apart). This attraction pulls both ways - think of an Olympic hammer thrower who spins the weight on a cable and has to lean backwards as she/he spins to resist the force. Now neither the Earth or the Moon are rigid - in fact on the huge scale of a planet, they are quite "wobbly", like jelly. This pulling force thus stretches them along the line of the pull - like a balloon full of water would if you swung it on a string. However, because the Earth is rotating, the line of this "stretch" changes through the day, so as we pass throught the bulge we experience a tide. Because the bulge is in both directions, we get a tide when the Moon is on our side of the Earth, and about 12.5 hours later when it is on the opposite side.

Tides are most obvious with water, because water is fluid and can flow, but tides affect the land too; we actually rise and fall several hundred millimetres relative to the centre of the earth with each tide cycle, but because everything around us does too, we can't see it.

The Moon doesn't rotate relative to the Earth (we always see the same side), so the Moon's bulge is always in the same place, toward and away from us. If there were oceans on the Moon, there would be no tides, or rather, "high tide" would always be in the same place.

Answer 3

The moon and the earth attract each other with their gravitational force, as all objects do. They are slowly drawn together, and at the same time revolve around each other, the moon turning around the earth in about 28 days, while the earth spins on its axis every 24 hours. The attraction also draws the gassy and fluid parts of each towards the other object. Of course, the Moon does not have any free gas or liquid, so we can't see the effect, and we are not aware of the effect on the atmosphere because we are inside it. Presumably the deep sea fish are not aware of the tidal motions of the sea either, but we are, because we are outside it.
We experience it as the tide washing in and out, it is really a moving bulge in the atmosphere and liquid. The primary bulge is towards the moon, there is a secondary on the opposite side. High tide is in line with the moon, low tide is at right angles to it.
The moon always turns one face towards the earth, so if it had atmosphere and liquid it would still not have tides, there would be a permanent fixed bulge towards the earth.
The earth however spins with respect to the moon, so although the earth is only visible from one side of the moon, all sides of the earth can be seen at different times on those parts of the moon where it is visible. This is why the bulge moves, which we experience as tides.
It is all due to gravity,or gravitation, the attractive force which holds together the earth itself, links the sun with the planets, the satellites to their planets and makes apples fall to the earth when they are ripe.
You could say, that the sea is "falling" towards the moon, but not as strongly as it is falling towards the earth. The earth being bigger, with more gravity, and closer.
Gravitation is one of the four basic forces of classical physics.

Answer 4

Any object exerts a gravitational attraction to any other object, depending on their mass and separation. The moon exerts a weak gravitational pull on the seas and oceans as it orbits the Earth. Not enough to pull the water into space. But enough to pull it to one side of the Earth where there will be more water, and high tide. There is a high tide on the other side of the Earth as well. Low tides at 90 degrees. There are 2 high tides and low tides every 24 hrs, about.

Answer 5

Of each and every of the psuedo sciences astrology makes the most experience, basically depending on the gravitational forces you suggested. If the moon can advance a tide 50 to 60 ft what type of effect ought to that stress have on human microchemistry? The stats about strange stuff and ers is repeated sufficient to lend credence to the conception. So if the moon may have an effect, does no longer the impact of alternative gravitational forces actually have some effect on the microchemistry that takes position for the time of idea? perchance no longer stars yet what about jupitur or saturn.

Answer 6

Although we think of the moon having very little gravity. It is suffiently close to us and has enough gravity to pull liquids and gasses. The moon pulls the water with it as it orbits the earth resulting in increases and decreaces of the width of the oceans, which we call tides

Answer 7

Its a combined centrifugal reaction to mass versus the gravitational pull of both objects. This also affects the magnetic flip of the earths points and has also been known to cause humans to ask ridiculously tedius and ...so 1997, type questions on sunday mornings.

Answer 8

id try, look at how stuff works.com they got a good explanation

the ocean is kinda shaped like an oval and the longer ends of it follow the moon around...... coz it have 2 sides, the water will be higher every 12 hrs, its a hard one to explain in words

Answer 9

gravitatonal forces. Whichever the moon is facing east or west. the water will follow in that direction.

Answer 10

why does it bother you