Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-b-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/paper-1/section-c/c11/solution

The differential gravitational acceleration responsible for a tidal force is the difference between accelerations at separated points of a body. Relative to a freely falling reference point , a small offset experiences
The tidal tensor has units ; the vector called in the source is the resulting differential acceleration, in . An actual differential force is this vector multiplied by the test mass. Measurable effects include relative motion of separated freely falling masses, radial stretching, transverse squeezing, deformation and, when self-gravity or strength is insufficient, disruption. A spatially uniform acceleration alone produces no tidal deformation.

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