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Asked by mchippendale312 to Claire, Kate, Matt, Rob, Sam on 18 Jun 2013.
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Sam Geen answered on 18 Jun 2013:
The gravity from the Moon can pull things on Earth, but very weakly – you’re not going to get sucked up by the Moon! But it has a slight effect on the ocean because the ocean is liquid and so can flow easily. A tidal force is when gravity affects an object more on one side than the other – so in this case, the ocean closest to the Moon is pulled towards it more than the parts of the ocean further away. The Earth’s rotation and the Sun also have an effect on tides.
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Matthew Pankhurst answered on 18 Jun 2013:
The moon affects everything on earth, because it is a big ball of mass that is relatively close to us. But, it doesn’t affect things all that much. The tides are a great example, because water is easy to slosh around it moves as the moon’s gravity pulls it about. There is also a theory that at certain times the moon has caused earthquakes and volcanoes, because it shifts the forces inside the earth just enough to make something happen. Waves are made by wind brushing across the water – try blowing into a bowl of water and see if you can make waves…!
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