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Why should the moon rotation have only a tidal lock to the earth but not a tidal lock component to the sun?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
(the whole Earth-and-Moon "thing" = mass entity system still rotates together around the sun, so there should be enough gravity to make a tidal lock component towards the sun plausible -- if the tidal lock explanation is true, at all -- and to cause a significant deviation from a "full synchronisation" towards Earth, therefore)
do you have an answer?
There is a tidal lock component coming from the gravitational attraction between the Earth and Sun, but it is much less than that of the Earth and Moon. The tidal generating force has an equation of:
mass/distance^3 - mass divided by distance cubed.
The mass of the sun is about 27 million times larger than the moon, and it is 390 times further away than the moon. Therefore, 27 million over 390 cubed gives you 0.46. This means that the suns tide generating force is less than half that of the moon. When the sun has an effect upon the tides in certain areas of the earth, the area will have a semi-diurnal mixed tide.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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What does rotation have to do with earth?
The Earth's rotation on its axis gives us our day. Gravitational pull from the sun and moon also produces tides which are believed to be a significant contributor to the development of life on earth; tidal forces also tend to slightly reduce the Earth's rotational speed and cause the moon to slowly recede from us.
Why do tidal nuclear and geothermal energy do not depend on the sun.?
Tidal energy comes from the energy of Earth's rotation. This is unrelated to the Sun's radiation. Nuclear energy comes from elements that are available on Earth - it doesn't depend on the Sun's radiation either. Geothermal energy comes from these same elements, which gradually decay, keeping Earth's interior hot.
Is the distance on the moon changing?
Yes. Not only is the moon's orbit elliptical, but the size of the orbit is slowly increasing as it absorbs energy from earth's rotation via tidal effects.
Why do tidal nuclear and geothermal energy resources not depend on the sun?
Tidal energy comes from the energy of Earth's rotation. This is unrelated to the Sun's radiation. Nuclear energy comes from elements that are available on Earth - it doesn't depend on the Sun's radiation either. Geothermal energy comes from these same elements, which gradually decay, keeping Earth's interior hot.
What is the result of gravity between the Moon and the Earth?
The gravitational interaction of the Earth and Moon produces a number of effects. The most obvious of these is the orbital motion of the Moon around the Earth, but there is also a motion of the Earth around the center of mass of the Earth-Moon system, tidal effects on the Earth and Moon and professional effects on the Earth's axis of rotation.
Is tidal friction slowing down earth?
Tidal friction caused by Earth's stretching from the Moon's gravity is gradually slowing down the rotation of Earth.
The is caused by the earths rotation?
Earth's rotation is slowing slightly with time; thus, a day was shorter in the past. This is due to the tidal effects the Moon has on Earth's rotation.
How many tidal bulges move around earth daily?
Two. Tides result from the two tidal bulges that "move" around the earth daily as a result of the gravitational attractions of the moon and sun and the rotation of the earth.
Why was Alfred wegeners idea that tidal forces might cause continental drift refuted as impossible?
It would stop earth's rotation. Showed that the tidal forces needed to move continents would stop earths rotation.
What would cause a planet to face the sun throughout the year?
Synchronous rotation or tidal locking. The Moon is in synchronous rotation about the Earth. Most major moons in the solar system have a synchronous rotation.
What effect of the tidal forces on th rotation of the moon?
None, its the other way around: The Moon influences the tides on Earth
What forces causes the synchronous rotation keeps the same side of the Moon facing the Earth?
Tidal forces cause the moon to be in a 1 to 1 resonance with the earth.
Why do you see the same aide of the moon always?
The Moon has a bound rotation, meaning that it takes just as long to orbit Earth (ca. 27 1/2 days) as it takes to rotate around its axis. Most moons do that. The reason for the bound rotation is related to tidal forces. Earth is also slowing down in its rotation, due to similar tidal forces, until one far day in the future, Earth will always show the same side to the Moon.
How is tidal energy being used by humans?
There are a few plants using it to generate electricity, but its main "use" is to slow the Earth's rotation and to reshape Coastlines.
What does rotation have to do with earth?
The Earth's rotation on its axis gives us our day. Gravitational pull from the sun and moon also produces tides which are believed to be a significant contributor to the development of life on earth; tidal forces also tend to slightly reduce the Earth's rotational speed and cause the moon to slowly recede from us.
Where does nearly all of the energy in the tides originally come from?
From Earth's rotation. Therefore, if tidal energy is used - or not used, but just wasted in friction - Earth will gradually rotate slower and slower.
Conservation of tidal energy?
Perhaps you mean the use of such energy as a source of renewable energy? It is believed that the work of tidal power slows the rotation of the Earth, which can lead to negative environmental effects. However, given the enormous mass of the Earth influence of tidal power is negligible. The kinetic energy of rotation of the Earth (ten to the twenty-ninth degree of J) is so great that the work of the tidal stations with total capacity of 1,000 GW will increase the duration of the day only ten to the minus fourteenth degree seconds per year, which is 9 orders of magnitude less than the natural tidal braking (~ 2 × ten to the minus fifth degree with a year)
