Movement by the moon's gravitational field?

Question

If the moon can make the tides then is it possible to make some sort of device that makes little particles move by the moon's gravity?

This probably sounds conufsing but I am talking about some sort of gravity detector, detecting the small movement of particles(or something bigger) caused by the moon's gravity.

Answer 1

Tides are more technically called differential gravitational forces, since they arise from the difference in lunar gravitational attraction between different parts of the Earth.

If you imagine the earth and moon in space, one side of the earth is a little closer to the moon, and one side of the earth is a little farther away (the earth is 8000 miles in diameter and the moon is about 240,000 miles away).

Because of the size of the earth, the side of the earth closer to the moon feels a greater gravitational attraction to the moon than the opposite side of the earth; both are attracted to the moon, but by different amounts.

Tides result from the DIFFERENCE in these forces.

So, if you had tiny particles, they would not experience tidal forces since they are so small, every part of the particle would experience the same force of lunar gravity.

There are lots of good sources on line that explain tides with diagrams, a good one is found at:

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/tides.html

Answer 2

The Gravity field of the moon is both relative to the Earth and the Sun. The Resulting path of the Gravity field follows the locus of a Cycloid inclined at an angle of 5 degrees.
When the moon is between the Earth and the Sun ,at that Point ,the value of the gravity force is greater than that between the Earth and the Moon. The combined effect of the Sun's Gravity push and the moon 's gravity results as a Force impingent on the Earth ,Called "Tidal Force."The force can be measured by observing the Water level on a Well. The water lever changes as a function of this Tidal Force.