An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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The → gravitational force exerted on an extended body as a result of the difference in the strength of gravity between near and far parts of the body. The ocean tides on Earth result from the varying gravitational force of the Moon exerted on the Earth's oceans closest and farthest from the Moon. Tidal force, which is the → gradient of the gravitational force, varies as 1/r³. More specifically, F_tidal = dF/dr = (2GMm)/r³, where M is mass of the → primary body, m is mass of the → secondary body, r is distance between objects, and G the → gravitational constant. The total tidal force experienced across a body is equal to the tidal force (force per unit distance) multiplied by the diameter of that body: F_tt = F_tidal x 2R (provided that radius R is much smaller than r). It is obvious that the tidal force experienced by Earth at Moon's → perigee is larger than that at the → apogee. If the tidal force is stronger than a body's cohesiveness, the body will be disrupted. The minimum distance that a secondary comes to a primary before it is shattered by tidal force is called its → Roche limit. Tidal forces create → tidal heating.

→ tidal; → force.