Why is the same side of the moon always facing Earth?

a. The gravitational pull
b. The inertia of Earth
c. The length of a solar day in comparison to a lunar day
d. The tidal friction locked the moon's rotation to that of Earth


ANS: D
The tidal friction present on Earth keeps the moon facing us. It has locked the moon into rotation with
the Earth. Information can be found in the section The Dynamic Theory of Tides Adds Fluid Motion
Dynamics to the Equilibrium.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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The process of isostatic adjustment is most closely associated with which of the following?

A) Lithospheric plate collisions B) Sea-floor spreading C) Buoyancy D) Volcanic activity

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

The two types of heat recognized by meteorologists are:

A) sensible heat and conductive heat. B) latent heat and sensible heat. C) kinetic heat and radiative heat. D) latent heat and kinetic heat.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Compared to long-term historic changes in the average temperature of the atmosphere, which of these best characterizes the current warming trend?

A. rapid B. slow C. very similar D. non-existent, the earth is cooling

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

The Earth pulls on the Moon. Similarly, the Moon pulls on the Earth, evidence that

A) Earth and the Moon are simply pulling on each other. B) Earth's and the Moon's pulls comprise an action—reaction pair. C) both A and B

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences