Re: moon's synchronism

[LUDWIK KOWALSKI <KOWALSKIL@alpha.montclair.edu>]

From:	IN%"billb@eskimo.com"  "William Beaty" 18-MAR-1998 10:13:32.21
To:	IN%"KOWALSKIL@alpha.montclair.edu"
CC:	
Subj:	RE: moon's synchronism

Return-path: <billb@eskimo.com>
Received: from mx1.eskimo.com by alpha.montclair.edu (PMDF V5.1-7 #25157)
 with ESMTP id <01IUT3PRD6LK99E2CP@alpha.montclair.edu> for KOWALSKIL; Wed,
 18 Mar 1998 10:13:28 EDT
Received: from eskimo.com (billb@eskimo.com [204.122.16.13])
 by mx1.eskimo.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id HAA02474 for
 <KOWALSKIL@alpha.montclair.edu>; Wed, 18 Mar 1998 07:11:22 -0800
Received: from localhost (billb@localhost) by eskimo.com (8.8.8/8.8.8)
 with SMTP id HAA19492 for <KOWALSKIL@alpha.montclair.edu>; Wed,
 18 Mar 1998 07:11:21 -0800 (PST)
Date: Wed, 18 Mar 1998 07:11:20 -0800 (PST)
From: William Beaty <billb@eskimo.com>
Subject: Re: moon's synchronism
In-reply-to: <01IUSLK3OPC299DY14@alpha.montclair.edu>
To: KOWALSKIL@alpha.montclair.edu
Reply-to: William Beaty <billb@eskimo.com>
Message-id: <Pine.SUN.3.96.980318070130.18314D-100000@eskimo.com>
MIME-version: 1.0
Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
X-Authentication-warning: eskimo.com: billb owned process doing -bs

On Wed, 18 Mar 1998, LUDWIK KOWALSKI wrote:

> I *belive* in what many of you wrote about the cause of the Earth-Moon
> synchronization because I know that your contributions are based on
> experience with reading and teaching the subject. But I am not totally
> persuaded because I am not able to follow the details of the involved 
> logic. So I turned to Interactive Physics. It clearly tells me that 
> synchronization without tidal forces is possible. It is a spectacular 
> show; try it if you have this software tool. Here is what I did.

Cool!  How cheap can IP be had?

I think your simulation IS a simulation of tidal forces.  The attraction
between one lunar 1/2-mass and the "earth" is different than that for the
other 1/2-mass because the distances are different, hence the "tidal
force" makes them oscillate.  If IE has damped spring icons that can serve
in place of your rods, you could make the oscillation decay away.  To
simulate oceans, build the earth from three (or more)  objects: a main
earth mass, then two or more small "ocean" masses tied to the earth's
center with rods.  The moon should torque the "oceans" around with a
restoring force that pushes them to the moon-facing side or the opposite
side.  Or instead build the earth out of "water", make it from a bunch of
non-point masses collected into a glob, and a single-mass moon should
create "tides" in the glob.  Can IP do this? 

Forward this to phys-L if you wish.

((((((((((((((((((((( ( (  (   (    (O)    )   )  ) ) )))))))))))))))))))))
William J. Beaty                                  SCIENCE HOBBYIST website
billb@eskimo.com                                  www.eskimo.com/~billb
EE/programmer/sci-exhibits          science projects, tesla, weird science
Seattle, WA   206-781-3320          freenrg-L taoshum-L vortex-L webhead-L