Tides & Gravity: Would Earth Still Have Tides Without Moon?

[The legend]

If the moon didn't exist, would the Earth still have tides?

Well, yes of course. Due to the sun.

But what stumps me is how often would those be... I thought every 6hrs...because that's the time the sun's max gravity effect is in the other quarter of the earth...

 

[MagnetDave]

Any tidal effect will have two maxima. The Earth revolves about it's axis once per day, therefore each point processing through each maxima once per day - two high tides a day.

 

[The legend]

oh, ok... thank you!

 

[granpa]

http://volkov.oce.orst.edu/tides/

[URL]http://volkov.oce.orst.edu/tides/pic/tpxo7.2.gif[/URL]

 

[pmacias]

Yes, the Earth would still have tides even without the moon's gravitational pull. Tides are primarily caused by the gravitational pull of the moon, but the sun also plays a role in creating tides. The sun's gravity is about 46% of the moon's, so it would still have a significant effect on tides. However, the tides would be much weaker without the moon's contribution. The Earth's rotation and shape would also play a role in the frequency and strength of tides. It is estimated that tides without the moon would occur about once every 12 hours. This is because the Earth rotates once every 24 hours, so the sun's gravitational pull would have a maximum effect on one side of the Earth every 12 hours. Overall, the moon's presence greatly enhances the tides on Earth, but they would still occur without it.