Re: Tides (fwd)

["Paul Camp" <pjcamp@coastal.edu>]

> Borland and I are trying to figure something out, and we need your help. 
> What do you know about tides?  We know that the Atlantic coast has two
> high tides and two low tides per day (day, here, meaning approximately 24
> hrs. and 50 min.), 

Here too. 8-)

> and that those tides are of equal magnitude.  The Gulf
> of Mexico has one high tide and one low tide per day.  The Pacific coast
> has two high tides and two low tides a day of greatly different
> magnitudes.  Why? 
>
> Is this related to rotation of the earth?  The features of the ocean 
> floor? Local Chambers of Commerce?  You tell us!

Usually this sort of thing is mostly related to the shape of the 
coastline and the problems associated with moving the water in and 
out of a constricted area. Tides are, in the end, a resonance effect 
and that is going to vary depending on the shape of the coast in your 
area. Think of it as analagous to a set of springs where the spring 
constant depends on your location. This is a great deal more complex 
than the ideal tides presented in most books where the Earth is 
assumed to be a uniform sphere (or at least covered with a uniform 
spherical shell of water). 

If there is sufficient interest, I could forward this query to our 
physical oceanographer for his comments.

Paul J. Camp                   "The Beauty of the Universe
Assistant Professor of Physics  consists not only of unity
Coastal Carolina University     in variety but also of 
Conway, SC   29528              variety in unity.
pjcamp@csd1.coastal.edu             --Umberto Eco
pjcamp@postoffice.worldnet.att.net    The Name of the Rose
(803)349-2227                         
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