Final answer:
Equatorial tides with equal high and low tides each day occur due to the consistent gravitational pull of the Moon when it is over the equator and Earth's rotation, which causes each point on Earth to pass through two tidal bulges every day, with a cycle roughly every 12.5 hours due to the Moon's orbit.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equatorial tides, which occur when there are two high and two low tides with equal heights each day, are produced due to Earth's rotation under the gravitational pull of the Moon.
The tides are a result of the tidal bulges caused by the Moon's gravity acting on Earth's oceans. When the Moon is directly over the equator, the gravitational forces are evenly distributed across the equator, resulting in tides of equal height. The Earth rotates through these bulges once every 24 hours, and because of the Moon's orbit, which takes approximately 28 days, the tide cycle (high and low) recurs roughly every 12.5 hours.
The tidal bulge is aligned with the Earth-Moon axis, and due to Earth's rotation, any given point on the Earth's surface passes through both the near-side and the far-side tidal bulges, experiencing high tides. As Earth rotates, this creates the phenomenon of two highs and two lows each day. Additionally, the constant friction between the land and the ocean waters, as the tides flow in and out, leads to energy dissipation.