What Causes the Tides on Earth?

The moon pulls the ocean like a giant magnet. Imagine you're holding a balloon filled with water, and someone gently tugs it from afar, the water moves toward them. That's what happens on Earth: when the moon is near, it pulls the water up, creating a high tide, and when it moves away, we get a low tide.

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Examples

When you're at the beach during high tide, it's like the ocean is being pulled toward the moon.
Low tide feels like the water has gone to sleep for a while.
Imagine the moon as a giant magnet that pulls on the ocean, and sometimes even on your feet.

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Categories: Physics · tides,gravity,moon,earth