Question

What is the difference between a spring tide and a neap tide

Answer 1

Spring tide is a tide with largest difference between the high and tide and the low tide on the earth on a solar day.

Neap tide is the tide with the least difference between the high and low tides on the earth in a solar day.

Explanation: Tide is the rise or fall in the level of water bodies which is easily detectable on the shore of the water bodies. This rise and fall is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun in resultant.

Gravitational force between the 2 masses is mathematically given as:

`F=(G. M_1.M_2)/(r^2)`

where:

• G= gravitational constant =
  `6.67 * 10^(-11) N.m^2.kg^(-2)`

• 
  `M_1`=mass of body 1

• 
  `M_2`= mass of body 2

• r= distance between the center of the masses.

The water on the earth acts as a membrane sue to the gravity of earth and its own surface tension.

During spring tide the earth, the moon and the sun are in a starlight line developing a greater net force on the earth due to which the membrane of the water present on the earth gets stretched by the maximum force in such condition when it is a new moon day or a full moon day.

During Neap tide the moon, and the sun are at right angles with respect to the earth developing a lesser net force on the earth due to which the membrane of the water present on the earth gets a lesser pull by the force components in such condition when it is a first quarter moon or a third quarter moon .