Question

Why are there tidal bulges on BOTH sides of Earth's oceans?

a) The Sun creates one of the bulges, and the Moon creates the other bulge.
b) The Moon's gravity pulls on one side of the Earth and, after orbiting around for 12 hours, the Moon's gravity pulls on the other side of the Earth.
c) The rotation of the Earth causes it to bulge around the equator, and this occurs on both sides.
d) Both sides of the Earth experience a different amount of gravity from the Moon than the center of Earth.
e) The Moon's gravity raises a tidal bulge on the Moon-facing side of the Earth, but the rotation of the Earth carries this bulge around to the far side of the Moon.

Answer 1

Tidal bulges on both sides of Earth's oceans are caused by the Moon's differential gravitational pull, which results in higher water levels or high tides on the side facing the Moon and on the opposite side. As Earth rotates, these bulges pass through different locations, leading to two high tides each day.

Step-by-step explanation:

The reason there are tidal bulges on both sides of Earth's oceans is due to the Moon's differential gravitational pull on Earth. Water on the side of Earth facing the Moon experiences a stronger gravitational pull, resulting in it being pulled toward the Moon, creating a high tide. Conversely, the Earth itself is pulled more strongly than the water on the far side, leading to a high tide on the opposite side due to the water not being pulled as much. As the Earth rotates on its axis, each location on the planet passes through these tidal bulges, resulting in two high tides each day.

These tidal forces are a perfect example of differential forces, which means that different parts of Earth experience different strengths of the Moon's gravity. Because the side of Earth closest to the Moon is pulled more strongly than the center, and the center is pulled more strongly than the side opposite the Moon, Earth's shape becomes slightly elongated in an oblate spheroid, with the elongation pointing towards and away from the Moon, forming bulges known as the high tides.