Re: [Paddlewise] The Tide/Moon Debate [long]

Steve Cramer wrote:

> [re:] understanding the origin or tides:

>  But there was a little S. Harris miracle happens here part for me,
>  where you said
 
> > the syrup nearer the sun begins to elongate a little bit toward the
> > sun, *until a compensating restorative force operates within the
> > syrup.*  Net effect, there is a "bulge" of syrup on your Sun side!
> > That was your feet.
> >
> > Now what about the side distal to the sun (your head)?  Well, it's similar
> > there, except a distal syrup chunk needs a force to *pull* it back to you.
> >  That force is produced when the syrup on the outside has bulged enough
> > to generate a visco-elastic restoring force.
> 
> Right, the visco-elastic restoring force (what a phrase!) pulls the
> chunk of Karo back down onto my head. What I missed was, how did it get
> pushed up off my head to begin with? Did I miss it, or did you? Probably
> me, but...

I did not explain that part very well.  The starting point for the bulge off
your head is the slightly *smaller* gravitational attraction between the syrup
chunk and the sun (re:  your bod's attraction to the sun).  Significance:  its
stable orbit would be somewhat detached from you.  So there is no force
*pushing* it away -- it's just not getting *pulled* toward the sun with as large
a *gravitational* force as your center of mass.  So, the remaining force to
bring the off-the-top-of-your-head chunk o' syrup back to "equilibrium" comes
from the layer of syrup -- the "visco-elastic" force.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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