Given that most of the Earth is covered in water, and that water has a tendency to move, and given that Earth is moving bloody fast in space which would surely affect said water, how can it be that someone looked at the sky and said, "It's the moon that's doing it!"
2006-09-30 08:33:00 · 21 answers · asked by anon 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Ok, I did ask how EXACTLY do we know?
Gravity, yeah good answer, but HOW?
How is it measured/proven that gravity from the moon affects our tides?
2006-09-30 08:44:23 · update #1
There is a big blob of water that is measurable or a swell that always points toward the moon. as the earth turns the blob follows the moon the location of the moon is where the high tides occur. the opposite side is where the low tides occur. As the moon orbits the earh about once every 28 days it causes the tide to shift to a little different time each day. By knowing where the moon is at and the rotation of the earth is at the times of the tides can be plotted and recorded in an almanac.
2006-09-30 08:42:47 · answer #1 · answered by Tommiecat 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Put the water aside for a minute, when the moon comes round the world it has its own gravity presence (as does the earth), which is a sucking phenonemon to everything around it.
So the moon goes over and pulls at the earth. Its pulling at ALL the earth. It just so happens that the water as a fluid has a greater tendency to move compared to a rock (ie land), so tides are the result.
Gravitational pull happens on land as well, and can be measured as well as calculated.
If the moon also possesed water and seas, then any planet traversing its orbit would give it a tidal pattern as well. (the earth is the moons centre of orbit so the effect from the earth to the moon would not be as noticable - more of a constant pull)
2006-09-30 09:58:26 · answer #2 · answered by Jon H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simple physics. First off, the movement of the earth doesn't effect the tides. Tides are caused by external forces. The tides move exactly with the movement of the moon's gravity. When they were first coming up with the idea of gravity, it was probably assumed that the moon's gravity would affect things on earth a little bit.
2006-10-02 07:11:28 · answer #3 · answered by Take it from Toby 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dodgy ascii graphics here..
O = earth
o = moon
( and ) are oceans
Diagram of the earth and moon is as follows:
(O) o
O and o are pulling each other, the closer side has more pull than the far side but they are both fairly rigid so they move with the average pull.
The ( on the earth is further away than average so has less pull than O so is left behind.
The ) on earth is closer than average so has more pull and gets pulled away from O
Net result is that the entire (O) gets streched out resulting in bulges on either side. There is nothing special about water except for the fact that there is loads of it and it moves around easily. The solid rock also has tides but they are far smaller and have no real impact on day to day life.
The earth moving through space has no effect on water or anything else because it generates no force.
2006-10-02 12:25:05 · answer #4 · answered by m.paley 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The moons mass has an effect on the earth just the same as the earths mass having an effect on the moon which means there is a huge tug of war going on between the two bodies, the tide demonstrates this never ending tug of war, if the moon had an ocean the same effect would be seen there too
2006-09-30 09:07:45 · answer #5 · answered by leanne r 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a problem believing the Moon theory myself.
Why do fine dust particles float happily for ages in our air and not get dragged towards the Moon. If the moons pull is so strong why doesn't it pull the clouds.
My current theory is that tides are caused by the changes in temperature of night and day (Oposing sides of the Earth)
2006-09-30 08:54:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Moon has gravity so it pull tides backwards to moon's direction, so the water level rise up so there will be many waves.
2006-09-30 18:50:13 · answer #7 · answered by Eve W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Long Story short, a drunk man was lying on the beach and the waves got closer until they touched his feet, he looked around to see who did it and noticed a large white thing in the sky acting suspiously. Having phoned the police, they charged the moon with G.B.H, He's now doing 18 months at Feltham.
2006-09-30 08:42:33 · answer #8 · answered by -M-o-r-t-i-n-i- 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the gravity pull of the moon makes sea levels rise a bit
2006-09-30 08:35:05 · answer #9 · answered by tezzadaman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the moon is held in place not purely because of the fact of earths gravity yet additionally as a stability of centripetal rigidity via distinctive function of the orbit exists. they moon additionally has a rigidity of gravity which impacts tides
2016-10-18 06:31:36 · answer #10 · answered by reatherford 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋