The fact that the Earth is elastic and responds to the Moon's tidal stress by bulging causes the Earth's rotation speed to gradually increase over time.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Moon's tidal stress does cause the Earth to bulge, but this bulging actually causes the Earth's rotation speed to slow down over time, not increase. This is due to the conservation of angular momentum since the bulging redistributes mass around the Earth's axis of rotation, causing the rotation to slow down to conserve angular momentum.

The Fact That the Earth Is Elastic and Responds to the Moon's