spurious wrote in message ...


snip


Thanks for the replies Col and Tudor, but I still have problems getting my
head around this.
The moon will displace millions of tonnes of water, yet won't make my
hair stand on end as it passes over.

Sorry to be a pain, but in layman's terms please.

spurious no sleep for me tonight



Force = mass x acceleration (Newton's law)

The acceleration caused by the moon's gravitational pull is the same for your
head and the Atlantic ocean, yet the masses are very very different. So the
*force* on the Atlantic is billions of times greater than it is on your head !
And since nothing moves without a force being applied, your hair stays put but
the *whole of the Atlantic* ocean moves.

Sleep well :-)

Will.
--

" A cup is most useful when empty "
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