The Lunar Day Animation Questions:
a. How much time passes between one high tide and the next?
The tides are created by the gravitational pull between the moon and the Earth, so the time difference between the tides depends on how long a lunar day is. A lunar day is 24 hours and fifty minutes and in one lunar day the Earth rotates through two tidal bulges. The time between one high tide and the next is twelve hours and twenty five minutes.
b. How much time passes between low tide and the next high tide?
The earth rotates through two tidal bulges in one lunar day, which is 24 hours and fifty minutes long. The time between a high tide and the next is twelve hours and twenty five minutes. Between two high tides is a low tide, therefore the time between a high tide and a low tide is half of the time between two high tides. With this knowledge, we know that the time between a high and a low tide is
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Explain how spring and neap tides are created.
Tides are created by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. When the sun and moon align their gravitational pulls combine creating the highest high tides and the lowest low tides, also known as the spring tides. When the sun and moon are at 90° angles from one another their gravitational pulls are pulling in different directions, therefore the tides are minimized, also known as neap tides.
b. How many spring and neap tides occur each month? Why?
The moon rotates around the earth twice in a month, therefore two neap tides and two spring tides occur each month, because the moon and sun will align twice each month.
Orbital Shape Questions:
a. Why does the distance from the earth to the moon or the sun affect the tides?
The force that generates the tides depends on the mass and distance of an object. As the distance between the earth and the sun or moon change the tidal force produced will change.
b. When will lunar tides be higher, at perigee or apogee? How often does each