Question map
Which one of the following is the tide produced as a consequence of moon and sun pulling the earth in the same direction ?
Explanation
Spring tides occur when the Sun, Moon, and Earth are aligned in a straight line, a configuration known as syzygy [c1, t2]. This alignment happens during both the new moon and full moon phases [c1, t1]. Specifically, during a new moon, the Sun and Moon are on the same side of the Earth, pulling in the same direction [t4, t9]. This combined gravitational force reinforces the tidal bulge, resulting in the greatest tidal range—where high tides are exceptionally high and low tides are significantly lower than average [t1, t3]. In contrast, neap tides occur when the Sun and Moon are at right angles (quadrature) to each other, causing their gravitational forces to partially cancel out and producing moderate tides with a smaller range [c2, t1]. Therefore, the tide produced by the Sun and Moon pulling in the same direction is the spring tide.
Sources
- [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 13: Movements of Ocean Water > Tides based on the Sun, Moon and the Earth Positions > p. 110
- [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 32: Ocean Movements Ocean Currents And Tides > Neap Tides > p. 504
- [3] https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/springtide.html
- [4] https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/restles4.html
- [5] https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/cause-effect-tides/
- [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_range