Tides, main lunar phases and babies

Authors

  • Fernando Lang da Silveira UFRGS - Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The mechanisms responsible for the tides are discussed, using mathematics that is accessible to secondary school students; we show that both the Moon and the Sun are responsible for the tidal effects on the oceans. Despite the gravitational pull of the Sun on the Earth being approximately 200 times greater than that of the Moon, solar tidal effects are approximately half those of the lunar effects. We present a study of 104,616 dates of birth, with the intention of identifying evidence for or against the alleged influence of the Moon over children s births.

Author Biography

Fernando Lang da Silveira, UFRGS - Rio Grande do Sul

Graduação em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (1972), mestrado em Física pela Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (1976) e doutorado em Educação pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (1992).

Mais informações: Currículo Lattes - CNPq.

Published

2003-01-01

How to Cite

Silveira, F. L. da. (2003). Tides, main lunar phases and babies. Caderno Brasileiro De Ensino De Física, 20(1), 10–29. Retrieved from https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/fisica/article/view/6558

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