UKIP and the inverse square rule

[Nearly Sane]

Douglas Carswell and the moon

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/douglas-carswell-tides-ukip-experts-science-mp-a7318461.html

[Gordon]

Surprised he hasn't been head-hunted by NASA!

[Hope]

I suppose Carswell is right, insofar as everything within our solar system is dependent on the sun's activities and gravitational influence.  But questioning the more subtle details seems daft - though I suppose one has to expect that from any UKipper

[Nearly Sane]

I suppose Carswell is right, insofar as everything within our solar system is dependent on the sun's activities and gravitational influence.  But questioning the more subtle details seems daft - though I suppose one has to expect that from any UKipper

and given that isn't what he said, he and you are wrong

[Hope]

and given that isn't what he said, he and you are wrong

I know that that isn't what he said; hence my second point.  But I think it is also true to say that any influence the moon has on the earth or any influence anything has on another part of the solar system and its tides is traceable back to the influence of the sun on that 'actor'. 

[Nearly Sane]

I know that that isn't what he said; hence my second point.  But I think it is also true to say that any influence the moon has on the earth or any influence anything has on another part of the solar system and its tides is traceable back to the influence of the sun on that 'actor'.

which is nothing to do with what he said, so you are still wrong.

[Enki]

As far as I can see, he was trying to claim that the sun was the biggest influence on normal tides, but the moon had a strong influence on Spring and neap tides. I think that he cocked it up, and showed his ignorance because he got the 'moon' and the 'sun'  the wrong way round.

[L.A.]

Douglas Carswell and the moon

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/douglas-carswell-tides-ukip-experts-science-mp-a7318461.html

I've always assumed that his asymmetrical facial expression was the result of a stroke - maybe he suffered more serious brain damage.

[splashscuba]

It's actually slightly more complicated than the moon orbiting the earth, both of them actually orbit a common point (which is at a point just inside the Earth). This is mainly why there is a tide on both sides of the Earth. The one furthest from the Moon is caused by centrifugal force.

[jeremyp]

The one furthest from the Moon is caused by centrifugal force.

I'm afraid that is not true. It's just as much caused by gravity as the one on the near side. One way of thinking of it is that the moon pulls the water on the near side away from the Earth and it pulls the Earth away from the water on the far side.

[splashscuba]

I'm afraid that is not true. It's just as much caused by gravity as the one on the near side. One way of thinking of it is that the moon pulls the water on the near side away from the Earth and it pulls the Earth away from the water on the far side.

Here's an explanation. It's both but the centrifugal force is greater.

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/restles3.html

[jeremyp]

Here's an explanation. It's both but the centrifugal force is greater.

https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/restles3.html

Sorry but it's wrong.

http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/tides.html

If you calculate it, the centrifugal force from the Earth's rotation around the Earth-Moon centre of mass is tiny compared with the difference effected by the Moon's gravity.

[SteveH]

I know that that isn't what he said; hence my second point.  But I think it is also true to say that any influence the moon has on the earth or any influence anything has on another part of the solar system and its tides is traceable back to the influence of the sun on that 'actor'.

You're as bad as Carswell: it's solely due to the relative gravitational pull of the two bodies on the Earth.