Balanced Waters: Understanding Neap Tides

If the Moon is pulling water toward the "top" and the Sun is pulling toward the "side," then some of the water is diverted away from the Moon's main bulge, making that bulge smaller.

If these tides represent the point in the lunar cycle where the water moves the least distance, then the name correctly describes their weak or scanty nature.

If spring tides happen when forces add together in a line, then the opposite effect must happen when forces are perpendicular.

If a small tidal range indicates that the gravitational forces of the Sun and Moon are competing at a right angle, then the chart is showing the typical pattern of neap tides.

If the bodies are at a 90-degree angle, then they are pulling in different directions. If they were pulling in the same direction, it would be a spring tide, not a neap tide.

If the Sun's gravity is pulling on the areas that would normally be "low" while the Moon pulls on the "high" areas, then the water is more evenly distributed. If the water is more even, then the low spots aren't as empty.

If the Moon takes about 28 days to orbit the Earth, then it will reach a 90-degree angle twice and a straight line twice. If these positions cause the tides, then neap tides will repeat every 14 days.

If the Moon must be perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line, then it must be placed 90 degrees away from the Sun in the drawing.

If the Moon is significantly closer to Earth than the Sun, then its tidal force is roughly twice as strong. Even when they are at right angles, the Moon's pull still dictates where the main (though smaller) bulges are.

If the high tide is lower than average and the low tide is higher than average, then the vertical distance between them must be at its minimum.

If the Sun's gravitational pull is exerted in one direction and the Moon's pull is exerted at a right angle to it, then the two forces partially cancel each other out.

If the gravitational pulls of the Sun and Moon are working against each other at a 90-degree angle, then the water is not pulled as strongly in any one direction, resulting in a smaller tidal range.

If the two strongest gravitational sources in our solar system are pulling on the ocean from different directions, then the total force is weakened. If the force is weakened, then the tidal effect is reduced.

If the quarter phases are the only times the Moon is at a right angle to the Sun, then those are the only times the "weak" tidal range will occur.

If the Moon moves through one quarter of its orbit every 7 days, then it will move from a straight line (spring) to a right angle (neap) in that time frame.

If the Moon must be at a right angle to the Sun to create this effect, then it must be halfway between the New Moon and Full Moon positions.

If the Sun and Moon are at right angles, then their forces conflict. This conflict causes the high tides to be less extreme and the low tides to be less deep, resulting in a narrow overall range.

If the lunar cycle moves from alignment (New Moon) to a right angle in one week, then the tides will transition from spring to neap in that time.

If the Sun, Earth, and Moon form an 'L' shape in space, then the lines connecting them are perpendicular and form a right angle of 90 degrees.

If the Moon didn't orbit or stayed in line with the Sun, then the 90-degree cancellation of forces could never happen. If it never happens, then the specific "weak" range of neap tides would not exist.