Learn all about what makes the tides with this child-friendly explanation using simple analogies and step-by-step guidance.
Alright, let's talk about tides! Imagine the ocean as a big bathtub, and the moon as a big, round rubber duckie. When the rubber duckie (moon) is close to one side of the bathtub (Earth), it pulls the water towards it; this is when we have high tide. And when the rubber duckie (moon) is on the other side of the bathtub, it pulls the water away, causing low tide. So, the moon's gravity is what makes the water move!
But that's not all! The sun also plays a part. Its gravity also pulls the water, but not as much as the moon because the moon is closer to us. When the sun and moon are lined up, their gravity pulls together, making even higher high tides and lower low tides; this is called a spring tide. When the sun and moon are at right angles to each other, their gravity works against each other, giving us not-so-high high tides and not-so-low low tides; this is called a neap tide.
Now, let's think about the Earth spinning. As it spins, the water is sloshing around, just like when you run with a glass of water. This also affects the tides and makes them a bit more complicated. But don't worry, once you understand the moon and the sun and how the Earth moves, you can start to see why the tides happen!
So, to sum it up, the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun along with the Earth's rotation all work together to create the wonderful phenomenon of tides. It's like a waltz between the Earth, moon, and sun, making the water dance in the oceans around the world!
And that's the basic idea of what makes the tides. I hope this makes it easier for you to understand!