Tides on Earth occur because of the gravitational force between the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. Because gravitational force decreases with increasing distance, the force of the Moon's gravity is less on the side of Earth facing away from the Moon than on the side of Earth facing the Moon. The Sun also causes tides, but the Sun's effect on tides is less than that of the Moon. The effect of their combined gravitational forces is to try to squeeze Earth into an ellipse. However, the Earth's crust is rigid and does not easily deform. The water in the ocean flows and piles up to create high tides. The figure provided shows the tidal bulges created by the gravitational forces of the Moon and Sun.

Question

5
A person is fishing in a bay when low tide occurs, stranding the person in the boat. Approximately how long will this person have to sit in the boat until the next high tide occurs and the person can leave the bay?
A.
6 hours
B.
24 hours
C.
16 hours
D.
3 hours

Answer 1

Tides on Earth typically follow a cycle of approximately 12 hours and 25 minutes for a complete rise and fall (from low tide to high tide and back to low tide). This means that after a low tide occurs, the next high tide will generally occur around 6 hours and 12 minutes later.

Given the options provided:

A. 6 hours
B. 24 hours
C. 16 hours
D. 3 hours

The most appropriate choice, considering the average tidal cycle, would be A. 6 hours. However, the actual time until the next high tide can vary slightly based on local conditions and the specific tidal patterns of the bay in question.