Earth

1
Earths Tides Simulation

• Craig Brubaker
• Union College
• 2/28/04

• Purpose
• To produce an application that helps students
  understand the tidal forces and the effects of
  orbital cycles on the tidal forces.
• To be used especially as a demonstration for
  introductory level courses.

• Simplifications
• Assume Earth covered by a shallow ocean.
• Parts of the system should be able to be turned
  on and off.

• Force of Gravity
• Proportional to the product of the masses over
  the square of the distance.

• Tidal Force
• Proportional to the product of the masses over
  the CUBE of the distance.

• Tidal Bulges
• Tidal Force produces TWO high tide points.
• Tidal Force produces a low tide line equidistant
  to both high tide points.
• The greater the high tide points, the lesser the
  low tide line.

Planetary Motion The orbits of the planets are
ellipses, with the Sun at one focus of the
ellipse.