Wiktionary
n. (context physics English) any of various gravitational forces acting on a body caused by variation in the distance between it and a source of a gravitational field; such forces due to the Moon are responsible for tides
Wikipedia
The tidal force is a secondary effect of the force of gravity and is responsible for the tides. It arises because the gravitational force exerted by one body on another is not constant across it; the nearest side is attracted more strongly than the farthest side. Thus, the tidal force is differential. Consider the gravitational attraction of the moon on the oceans nearest to the moon, the solid Earth and the oceans farthest from the moon. There is a mutual attraction between the moon and the solid earth which can be considered to act on its centre of mass. However, the near oceans are more strongly attracted and, since they are fluid, they approach the moon slightly, causing a high tide. The far oceans are attracted less. The attraction on the far-side oceans could be expected to cause a low tide but since the solid earth is attracted (accelerated) more strongly towards the moon, there is a relative acceleration of those waters in the outwards direction. Viewing the Earth as a whole, we see that all its mass experiences a mutual attraction with that of the moon but the near oceans more so than the far oceans, leading to a separation of the two.
In a more general usage in celestial mechanics, the expression 'tidal force' can refer to a situation in which a body or material (for example, tidal water) is mainly under the gravitational influence of a second body (for example, the Earth), but is also perturbed by the gravitational effects of a third body (for example, the Moon). The perturbing force is sometimes in such cases called a tidal force (for example, the perturbing force on the Moon): it is the difference between the force exerted by the third body on the second and the force exerted by the third body on the first.
Usage examples of "tidal force".
This same tidal force had earlier locked Jinx's rotation to Primary and forced the moon into an egg shape, a prolate spheroid.
Taking the radius of the disk to be 50 meters, the gravitational acceleration acting on a test object at the center of the disk to be 50 gees, and the tidal force there to be one gee per meter, we can solve for the total mass M, together with the gravitational and tidal forces acting on a body at different distances Z along the axis of the disk.
She had already tried twice to put on her disguise, but the sluggish tidal force wouldn't vouchsafe her enough power to whip up half a human nose, much less a whole convincing face.
One thousand three hundred and thirty-one times the mean tidal force was exerted upon its components.
It seems to me that one companion, or the other-possibly both-would be torn apart by the tidal force of the companion.
Of course, the very tidal force that had locked Rimillia into its present position would resist any effort to spin it again.
In the point-oh-three tidal force of Brighton Tree, it was amazing how much water a tunic could hold.
I want to see what it's like when there isn't any tidal force at all.
I want to see what its like when there isnt any tidal force at all.
Even if there had not been some remaining internal pressure, it would have fragmented because of the tidal force of this orbit, causing that portion of it closer to Jupiter to move marginally faster than the portion more distant.
And if the main mass is large enough, and you pass within its event horizon, that tidal force will tear you apart.
This wouldn't have been possible under normal gravity, but with only a hundredth of a G of tidal force, it was fairly easy, provided you sheathed your huge sword first.