So, it's the middle of the summer. That time of year when TV stations play Christmas in July specials and the Earth decides it wants to try and set fire to anyone who walks outside by bombarding them with UV radiation. And what better way to celebrate this fact than going to the beach?
The beach, as it turns out, is full of physics. In fact, the beach wouldn’t even be there without physics. It’s the motion of the tides that eroded the rocks that originally created the border between sea and land, turning everything into sand. And of course, what makes the tides come in and out? The gravitational pull of the moon.
The beach, as it turns out, is full of physics. In fact, the beach wouldn’t even be there without physics. It’s the motion of the tides that eroded the rocks that originally created the border between sea and land, turning everything into sand. And of course, what makes the tides come in and out? The gravitational pull of the moon.
As romantic as it sounds, the pull of the moon on the sea is actually fascinating. At high tide, water is pulled towards the moon ever-so-slightly. This subsequently creates a low tide on the sides of the Earth, the places that the water is being drawn from. Yet, the opposite side of the Earth also has high tide, since the effect of the moon goes straight through the Earth!
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This MS Paint drawing just blew my mind. |
