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Where does the water in tides come from?

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  • 09-09-2011 8:41pm
    #1
    Blisterman
    Registered Users Posts: 7,457 ✭✭✭


    Was having a bit of a debate in the pub about this the other night. None of us know much about weather, so apologies if it sounds a bit ignorant, but none of us could figure this one out, and Google revealed nothing.

    At high tide, where does the water come from? Does it travel half way across the world from an area at low tide?

    It couldn't be, cause then it would be travelling at hundreds of miles an hour, but where does it come from?


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    #2
    Tails142
    Registered Users Posts: 2,117 ✭✭✭Tails142


    Yeah it all moves, like the tide going in and out...

    Probably most of it is transported by ocean currents.

    It would constantly be following the moon so it never stops moving I suppose.


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    #3
    Norwayviking
    Closed Accounts Posts: 766 ✭✭✭Norwayviking


    Blisterman wrote: »
    Was having a bit of a debate in the pub about this the other night. None of us know much about weather, so apologies if it sounds a bit ignorant, but none of us could figure this one out, and Google revealed nothing.

    At high tide, where does the water come from? Does it travel half way across the world from an area at low tide?

    It couldn't be, cause then it would be travelling at hundreds of miles an hour, but where does it come from?


    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide


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    #4
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    The body of water doesn't really move at all.

    Take large bowl of water and tilt it back and forth. The water as such doesn't really move that much ...but to the fly on the rim the level seems to rise and fall rapidly :D


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    #5
    cherryghost
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 17,134 Mod ✭✭✭✭cherryghost




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    #6
    fizzycyst
    Closed Accounts Posts: 399 ✭✭fizzycyst


    ;)


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    #7
    kindredspirit
    Registered Users Posts: 343 ✭✭kindredspirit


    What I could never understand is why there is a high tide on the opposite side of the earth to the moon.

    It is put down to centrifugal force but I could never follow that.

    Here's an explanation but still I don't understand it.

    https://coolwatergarden.com/



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    #8
    adamski8
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,503 ✭✭✭adamski8


    kindredspirit wrote: »
    What I could never understand is why there is a high tide on the opposite side of the earth to the moon.

    It is put down to centrifugal force but I could never follow that.

    Here's an explanation but still I don't understand it.
    thats a bit complicated alright. I like to think of it in terms of the following analogy (rightly or wrongly):
    Your (you-earth) standing still with your arms (arms=water/tides) by your side. Someone (moon) grabs your right arm and pull you right; your right arm goes flying up in the air because someone is pulling you, your body also moves in that direction but also your left arm doesnt travel with your body and actually goes a little in the opposite direction (this left arm being the high tide on the opposite side of the earth to the moon)


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