Question

The Sun's effect on tides is smaller because:

A. It is so much farther away.
B. It is being gaseous.
C. The Moon is so much larger.
D. The Sun's effect is cancelled out by the Moon's.

Answer 1

The Sun's effect on tides is less than the Moon's because it is much farther away, leading to a smaller fractional change in distance across Earth's diameter.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Sun's effect on tides is smaller because A. It is so much farther away. Despite the Sun's gravitational attraction being nearly 200 times that of the Moon, the tidal effect is less than that of the Moon.

The reason for this is the nature of tidal forces, where the fractional change in distance from the near side to the far side of Earth is greater for the Moon than for the Sun.

As a result, the Moon has a greater effect on tides. The Sun does contribute to spring tides when aligned with the Earth and the Moon, and to neap tides when at a 90° angle to the Earth-Moon alignment.