Table of Contents

Tides

Module 3: The Earth and the Moon

Button controls:

• (1) Help button:
  • This button will open a window with help information
• (2) Controller buttons:

• (A) Reset: reload the applet and reset the parameters
• (B) Rewind: press and hold to advance the applet in reverse
• (C) Pause: temporarily stop the action in the applet
• (D) Play: begin or resume the action in the applet
• (E) Fast Forward: press and hold to advance the applet
• (F) End: advance the applet to its end
• (G) Speed: click to select the number and input a higher number to increase the speed of the rewind and fast forward buttons
• (H) Slider bar: shows the progression through the animation
• (I) Drag controller: click and drag over this symbol to reposition the controller buttons within the applet frame
• (J) Collapse button: click this button to collapse controller button

Using the applet:

This applet has been designed to help students understand why the Earth experiences tides.

Tides are caused by the gravity of the Moon (6) and the Sun (4) which tug at the Earth's (5) oceans. This gravitational pull causes tidal buldges which produce a high or low tide (3), depending on the coastal location. The alignment of the Sun and Moon affect the strength and direction of the gravitational tug which produces tidal variations throughout. The difference between high and low tides (5) are greatest during spring tides and the least during neap tides.