File:Tidal-forces.svg
Summary
Diagram of tidal forces.
The upper picture shows a small planet and the red arrows show the gravitational forces attracting it towards a much larger planet off to the right. Since gravity is proportional to 1/R^2, the forces to the right are slightly larger than those at the center, which are slightly larger than those at the left.
The lower picture shows the forces when a constant offset corresponding to the force at the center has been subtracted from all forces. The central force is then, of course, zero. A small force remains towards the right, directed rightwards. A small force, directed leftwards, remains at the left. This is why (perhaps somewhat counter-intuitively) tidal forces lead to a bulge on both sides of the smaller planet.
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File history
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| current | 03:15, 6 January 2017 | | 500 × 500 (3 KB) | 127.0.0.1 (talk) | <p>Diagram of tidal forces. </p> <p>The upper picture shows a small planet and the red arrows show the gravitational forces attracting it towards a much larger planet off to the right. Since gravity is proportional to 1/R^2, the forces to the right are slightly larger than those at the center, which are slightly larger than those at the left. </p> <p>The lower picture shows the forces when a constant offset corresponding to the force at the center has been subtracted from all forces. The central force is then, of course, zero. A small force remains towards the right, directed rightwards. A small force, <i>directed leftwards</i>, remains at the left. This is why (perhaps somewhat counter-intuitively) tidal forces lead to a bulge on <i>both</i> sides of the smaller planet. </p> |
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