5.2 Tide Generating Forces and Equilibrium Theory
"
.. - -- - ..
... ---. ..
. .
, ,
159
to the Moon
Fig. 5.2: Points A, Band C move in circular paths of the same radii; eM is the
centre of mass of the Earth-Moon system, and Fe denotes the centrifugal force
The vectors of the centrifugal force are directed parallel to the line of the centres
of the Earth and the Moon.
We note that acceleration of a particle travelling along a circular path with
radius T and with angular frequency w is:
(5.7)
where w = 21T IT, and T is the period of rotation. As the frequency w is related
to the tangential velocity Ut by:
Ut = WT,
the acceleration ae becomes:
Thus, the centrifugal force Fe is:
U 2
Fe = mae = m T w 2 = m -.!.:...,
T
where m is the mass involved.
(5.8)
(5.9)
(5.10)