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The largest ocean tides, called spring tides, and the smallest, called neap tides, depend on the alignment of Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. When do each occur?
ASpring tides at 90 degrees, neap tides when all three align
BSpring tides only in the spring season, neap only in autumn
CSpring tides when all three align, neap at 90 degrees to that line
DSpring and neap both need the Moon directly overhead
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Spring tides when all three align, neap at 90 degrees to that line
1. Spring tides, the largest tides, occur when Earth, the Moon, and the Sun are all aligned, so the Sun and Moon pull together on Earth's oceans.
2. Neap tides, the smallest tides, occur when the Sun sits at a 90 degree angle to the Earth-Moon line, so the Sun's pull partly works against the Moon's.
3. The names spring and neap describe the size of the tide, not the season of the year, so they are not tied to spring or autumn specifically.
4. Both kinds of tide occur regardless of whether the Moon happens to be directly overhead at a given moment, since the tidal bulge follows Earth's rotation continuously.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation", section 6.5 Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation_
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