Tidal locking

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tidal-locking

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the governing force?Gravitational gradient leading to differential forces and tidal torques
2. What is the equilibrium state?Rotational period equals orbital period
3. Why do we always see the same side of the Moon?The Moon's rotation period matches its orbit around Earth, so the same side always faces us. This is called tidal locking.
4. How does the Moon become tidally locked?The Moon's gravity pulls on Earth's tides, creating bulges that tug back on the Moon. Over billions of years, this torque slowed the Moon's spin until it matched its orbit.

Tidal Bulge: An elongation of a celestial body caused by the differential gravitational pull of another body.
Torque: A rotational force that tends to cause or alter the motion of a body around an axis.
Spin-Orbit Resonance: A situation where the orbital period of a celestial body is related to its rotation period by a ratio of small integers.