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troubleinharlem's avatar

Why does the tide rise and fall?

Asked by troubleinharlem (7999points) November 13th, 2009

I’ve never understood why the moon has something to do with water and all that jazz. What does the moon have to do with tide? Does it magically make the water rise?

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15 Answers

jackm's avatar

Well the moon has gravity and that gravity attracts the oceans.

troubleinharlem's avatar

@jackm ; why would gravity attract the ocean?

filmfann's avatar

The moon’s gravity affects us all. We can just easily see it in the Oceans.

MrItty's avatar

@troubleinharlem why wouldn’t it?

OutOfTheBlue's avatar

@troubleinharlem Hence, higher tides around the full moon..

fireside's avatar

The word “tides” is a generic term used to define the alternating rise and fall in sea level with respect to the land, produced by the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun. To a much smaller extent, tides also occur in large lakes, the atmosphere, and within the solid crust of the earth, acted upon by these same gravitational forces of the moon and sun.

What are Lunar Tides

Tides are created because the Earth and the moon are attracted to each other, just like magnets are attracted to each other. The moon tries to pull at anything on the Earth to bring it closer. But, the Earth is able to hold onto everything except the water. Since the water is always moving, the Earth cannot hold onto it, and the moon is able to pull at it. Each day, there are two high tides and two low tides. The ocean is constantly moving from high tide to low tide, and then back to high tide. There is about 12 hours and 25 minutes between the two high tides.

Tides are the periodic rise and falling of large bodies of water. Winds and currents move the surface water causing waves. The gravitational attraction of the moon causes the oceans to bulge out in the direction of the moon. Another bulge occurs on the opposite side, since the Earth is also being pulled toward the moon (and away from the water on the far side). Ocean levels fluctuate daily as the sun, moon and earth interact. As the moon travels around the earth and as they, together, travel around the sun, the combined gravitational forces cause the world’s oceans to rise and fall. Since the earth is rotating while this is happening, two tides occur each day.

What are the different types of Tides

When the sun and moon are aligned, there are exceptionally strong gravitational forces, causing very high and very low tides which are called spring tides, though they have nothing to do with the season. When the sun and moon are not aligned, the gravitational forces cancel each other out, and the tides are not as dramatically high and low. These are called neap tides.

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mowens's avatar

the water gets mooned.

erichw1504's avatar

During full moons, werewolves push the water higher.

Shuttle128's avatar

@OutOfTheBlue The phase of the moon has absolutely nothing to do with the moon’s gravitational effect on the oceans. As fireside said there are circumstances in which the moon and the sun are close together which can cause very high tides, but the phase of the moon has nothing to do with this.

wundayatta's avatar

You people are absolutely nuts! You think the moon has something to do with the tides? Gah! Everyone knows that the Titans in their caves under the ocean set the waters a-rockin whenever they go out for a walk!

sophillyk's avatar

its the impact of all the fishes tails pushing the water, either that or the moons gravity.

mangeons's avatar

We just watched a movie on this in Physics today!

The water makes a sort of “bulge” around the Earth, and when the sides with said bulges get closer to the moon, depending on which side, the moon’s gravitational pull is strong enough to pull it in to either high or low tide. (Even though the force of gravity is atually quite weak)

Shuttle128's avatar

It’s the other way around. Gravity creates the bulge in the ocean.

mangeons's avatar

That’s what I meant. I’m kinda brain-missing, it’s Friday, okay? xD

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