Conservation of Angular Momentum

[Mutsi]

Hi,

I just read post of a supposed Physics teacher who states that the moon moves away from Earth yearly by 3 or 4 (inches or centimeter can't remember). That because the rotational force of its orbit is stronger than the Earth's grasp on it with gravity. That all makes sense. But is it no so that the conservation of angular momentum is a law. And that law states that when the moon gets further away from its center it should rotate more slowly at least that's how the planets around our sun behave. So it would be obvious that the moon also slows down and will lose some of its centripetal force and due to that get drawn to the moon.

Or is it so that although it moves slower the centripetal force remains the same (again due to the conservation of angular momentum)?

 

[Bill_K]

Wikipedia has a detailed explanation of this, better than can be given here. Look under 'Tidal Acceleration'.

 

[DrFurious]

Actually, this is kind of cool. Because of the sloshy, sloshy oceans the Earth is actually transferring energy to the moon. So the Earth turns slower and the moon moves farther away. This is the conservation of angular momentum you were looking for.