"Scout" wrote in message
...
"Jeff Morris" wrote
[snip]
So take your pick, either explanation works, and I'm sure there are others. However,
I hope you can appreciate that explanations like "gravity creates the inner bulge,
centrifugal force creates the outer bulge" makes physicists wince!

Yes, I can, as I've watched my physics teaching partner wince quite a bit this week as we
discussed this thread. He was quick to cover our whiteboard with formulas and drawings. It's an
interesting thread though, and notwithstanding my oversimplified analogies, I've learned a lot
from it. By the way, I saw that same wince from a black history professor when I suggested that
the Civil War was fought to free the slaves, and then again when I suggested to an ancient lit
professor that The Odyssey has all the earmarks of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. Probably
explains why I like a good fart joke.

Sort of like the wince I got from an African-American/Cherokee friend when I asked him how he was
going to celebrate Columbus Day?

jeff

ps So how does your partner rate my explanations?

"Jeff Morris" wrote
[snip] Sort of like the wince I got from an African-American/Cherokee
friend when I asked him how he was going to celebrate Columbus Day?
Ouch!

ps So how does your partner rate my explanations?
The great mediator saw truth in both models. He was a bit more forgiving of
my "impellor in a great centrifugal pump" analogy, but slapped my wrist for
saying this about centrifugal force: if it feels real, mustn't it be real?
By the time he was done, my head was spinning and yet somehow my brain
seemed to be bulging (quite appropriately) out of both sides of my head. In
the end he called me an English teacher, which is his way of slandering me,
and told me my paltry general science achievements were no match for his
superior physics and math skills. I told him he could forget about me taking
him sailing again and he took it all back.
He's never done the newsgroups though, and was quite impressed with the ease
with which like minded folks could debate a worthy topic.
Scout

Scout,

I was determined not to re-enter this discussion, except to needle Donal
about the 1/4 point.

Your post about your physic teacher gave me enough enjoyment to venture
another post.

Your experience brought back memoirs of mine own days in High School
with my own Physic Teacher about Tides and a Commercial Clammer who help
me learn sailing. By the time I got finished, I had more faith in the
Clammer. He lived in a shed on a float in the middle of the harbor. He
was fond of the booze an when he know enough about any subject to
satisfy himself, then he was satisfied.

His explanation of the Tide, given to me willingly. was; and I quote.
The Moon causes the Tides. It cause high tide because of its pull on
earth, which screws up the pull between the earth and the Sun. Since the
Tides are made up of water, the higher water, under the Moon creates
less water on the other side of the Earth or low Tide. Since the Tide
are water and the pull is less the farther away from the Moon they are
not as high on the side of the earth facing the moon but higher than the
water on the side of the Earth facing away away from the Moon. People
call this difference 1/2 tide. The height of High Tide and Low Tide
along with 1/2 Tides are affected by the Phase of the Moon.

The difference of the location and of the time of tides are caused by
the differences of the rotation of the Earth and the time of revolution
and direction of the Moon

This is explanation has served me well for over 60 years.

Ole Thom

Thanks Thom,
thank God for those ol' salty guys ~ they always manage to keep it real!
Scout

"Thom Stewart" wrote
[snip]
Your post about your physic teacher gave me enough enjoyment to venture
another post.

Your experience brought back memoirs of mine own days in High School
with my own Physic Teacher about Tides and a Commercial Clammer who help
me learn sailing. By the time I got finished, I had more faith in the
Clammer. He lived in a shed on a float in the middle of the harbor. He
was fond of the booze an when he know enough about any subject to
satisfy himself, then he was satisfied.

Scout,

I forgot to mention my old friend. Frank, also told me he had Tide
Tables and Almanics for the heigth and times of the tides and the
position on the Moon.

Ole Thom