The gravitational attractions of the Sun and the Moon give rise to ocean tides. It is sometimes said that since the Moon is closer to the Earth than the Sun, the Moon's gravitational attraction is much stronger and therefore has a greater influence on ocean tides. Is this true?
THINKING IT THROUGH. To see if this is true, the gravitational attractions of the Moon and the Sun on the Earth can be easily calculated using Newton's law of gravitation. The masses and distances are given on the inside back cover of the book. (Assume that the bodies are solid, homogenous spheres.)