Question

What causes a spring tide?

A) the cancellation of the moon's gravitational pull by the sun
B) the alignment of the moon and sun.
C) the cancellation of the sun's gravitational pull by the moon
D) the cancellation of the sun's gravitational pull by Earth
E) the sum of the gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun on Earth

Answer 1

A spring tide occurs when the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun are aligned, reinforcing each other's gravitational forces, resulting in higher and lower tides than normal.

Step-by-step explanation:

A spring tide is caused by the alignment of the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. When these celestial bodies are in alignment, the gravitational pulls of the Moon and the Sun reinforce each other, leading to higher than normal high tides and lower than normal low tides. This phenomenon is in contrast to a neap tide, which occurs when the Sun and the Moon are at a 90° angle relative to Earth, resulting in their gravitational forces partially cancelling each other out and producing less extreme tides. The effect of the gravitational forces is also influenced by the distances of the Moon and the Sun from the Earth, which vary due to their elliptical orbits.