Weatherlawyer wrote:
Jonathan Silverlight wrote:

I would have thought that on the theory most here are defending
(without the benefit of a schoolboy's primer may I add) the moon would
have tidal mountains and hills.

That's an odd way of putting it, but it does. If you took the trouble to
learn anything at all about the subject, you would find that the Moon's
shape is permanently deformed from a spherical shape. Look at
http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q277.html for instance. Because the
Earth has 81 times the mass of the Moon it has not yet stopped rotating
relative to the Moon, so the bulge moves round the planet.

And pray tell why they are not quadurnal. They are not even diurnal. If
the moon can raise the tides twice a day, surely the earth can do one
better?

Why should it be? Do you have any idea how long a lunar "day" actually
is???

The moon has already become gravitationally locked in synchronous
rotation with its orbital period because of tidal drag. Hint: that is
why it always shows roughly the same side to the Earth (ignoring for
the perturbations and its elliptical orbit) Or hadn't you noticed?

If you want to better understand physics in a rotating frame of
reference try moving your arm in one of those centrifugal spinning
fairground rides. And be careful that you do not knock out your
neighbour...

Do you understand the laws of physics by any chance? What does the word
physics mean to you?

Several of us not only understand the laws of physics but can derive
the equations that govern the raising of tides on a planet by a
satellite. It isn't all that difficult to compute from first principles
for a uniform sea on a spherical planet...

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/time/tides.html

Is a reasonable description of the basic mechanism.

NB Real detailed tidal calculations have to include friction,
irregular coastlines, continents and varying depths of ocean. For some
strange reason this subject attracts net kooks.

Regards,
Martin Brown