system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why do tidal ranges in different parts of the world vary so greatly?

I understand the basics of how tides work with the sun and moon causing neap and spring tides, but why does the tidal range vary so greatly in different areas? (from as little as 1m to 17m)
gpt
Resonance based on shape and depth of the basins.  Tides are essentially very large waves which travel around an ocean basin. Unlike the waves you normally see at the beach which have a wavelength of 1-10 meters, the tidal wavelengths are 1000s of km. For a place with large tides, such as the Bay of Fundy, the natural unforced period for a wave to travel around the basin is very close to the period of the gravitational forcing of the sun/moon (~12 and ~24 hrs). Therefore the sun/moon are very effective at driving a large tidal response.  Other basins, such as the Mediterranean, have a natural free wave frequency which is different from the sun/moon forcing and thus ineffective at transferring much energy into tidal motions. In order to get large tides, the size and depth of the basin have to be in the sweet spot for resonant excitation. 

You can create a similar resonant wave in your bathtub. If you swish your hands back and forth you can create a standing wave where the water sloshes back and forth from end to end. The period of this wave depends on the size of your tub and the water depth. If your hands move back-and-forth at just the right frequency, you can excite a large sloshing with very little effort. But if you move your hands too fast or too slow, you will still create lots of small waves and ripples, but it's only when you force at the resonance frequency that you can create the really large response.