Inquiry4.1AnalyzingTidalData
Directions:Writedownthepurposeandansweranyquestionin
theinquiry.
Purpose:HowdoesthemoonaffecttheEarth’shighandlow
tides?
BackgroundInformation:
Tides–Theriseandfallofwaterevery12.5hours.
Namethecorrectmoonphasefortheamountoftheilluminatedmoonbelow:
_______=0%
_______=1-49%
_______=50%
_______=51-99%
_______=100%
Procedures:
ExaminethedatainTable16.1:TidesforVirginiaBeach:April3–30,2001.Workwithyourgroup
toanalyzethepatternsthatexistintheriseandfalloftides,andthenanswerthefollowing
questionsinyournotebook:
1) AtwhattimedidtheearliesthightidesoccuronApril5,2001?
2) AtwhattimedidtheMoonriseonApril9,2001?
3) AtwhattimedidthesecondhightideoccuronApril9,2001?
4) HowmuchoftheMoonwasvisibleonApril8,2001?
5) Giventhepercentagetothequestionabove,whatphasewastheMooninonApril8?
6) HowmuchoftheMoonwasvisibleonApril16,2001?
7) Giventhepercentagetothequestionabove,whatphasewastheMooninonApril16?
8) WheredidthetidesinTable16.1occur?
9) Examinetheheightoftideseachday.HowmuchtimeisbetweenaHightidetohightide?
10)Ahightideoccurswhenthetidereachesitsmaximumheightoneachrise.Howmanyhightides
normallyoccuralongVirginiaBeachin24hours?
11)Alowtideoccurswhenthetidereachesitsminimumheightoneachfall.Howmanylowtides
normallyoccuralongVirginiaBeachin24hours?
12)Whydoyouthinkthispatterninhighandlowtidesexists?
13)Comparethetimesthathighandlowtidesoccureachdayoveratwo-weekperiod.Whatdoyou
observe?Explainwhyyouthinkthishappens.
14)Examinethedatashowingmoonriseandmoonsettimes.Comparethesetimestothetimesof
highandlowtides.Whatpatternsdoyouobserve?Whatexplanationcanyougiveforthese
patterns?
15)ComparethealmostfullmoononApril8,NewMoononApril24tothenearquartermoonof
April16.Whichofthe2dayshashigherHighTides.(Sameheight)
16)Duringwhatphasesdohighesthightidesoccur?
17)Whatexplanationcanyougiveforthesepatterns?
Graphing:
Directions:Useyourgraphpapertoshowtherelationshipbetweenhighandlowtides:Yaxisshould
beHeight
1. Inonecolorofcoloredpencilgraphthetideheightsvstimefordays7,8,9and10.
2. Connectthedotsinthatsamecolorusingaruler.
3. Inadifferentcoloredpencilgraphthetideheightsvstimefordays13,14,15and16.
4. Connectthedotsinthatcolorusingaruler.
Reading
Read,“CanWaterFallUp”fromtheteacher’swebsite,thenanswerthefollowingquestions.
AnalyzingtheReading:
1) WhydoestheMoonexerttwicetheamountoftidaleffectonEarththanthelargerSun?
2) DuringwhichtwoMoonphasesdospringtides(higherthannormaltides)occur?
3) DrawapictureoftheSun,EarthandMoonduringaSpringTide.
4) DuringwhichtwoMoonphasesdoneaptides(lowerthannormalhightides)occur?
5) DrawapictureoftheSun,EarthandMoonduringaNeapTide.
6) Howmanyspringandneaptidesoccurduring1revolutionofthemoonaroundEarth?
7) WhatisasignthattidalforcesareatworkontheMoon?
8) Whywasthearticlecalled“CanWaterFallUp,”explainyouranswer.
9) DoesaSpringTideoraNeaptidecreatehightidesthataretwiceashighasregularhightides.
Explainwhyyouthinkthishappens.
Conclusion–writteninparagraphform
• Springtidesoccurduringwhatmoonphaseaccordingtothedata?
• Neaptidesoccurduringwhatmoonphasesaccordingtothedata?
• Accordingtothedata,approximatelyhowmuchtime(hours)occursbetweenhightides?(High
tidetohightide)
• Howmuchtimeisin-betweenhightolowtides?
• Whatpatternsintidesdidyousee?
• Whichisclosertothemoon,ahightideoralowtide?
• Whyisthetideyouchoseaboveclosertothemoonalways?