What can scientists infer about Earth–Moon interactions in the distant past?

Earth’s tides transfer energy and angular momentum to the Moon, causing the Moon to gradually move farther away from Earth over time. This means the Moon was closer in the distant past, and its stronger gravitational pull would have produced stronger tides. So the best choice is “The Moon once orbited closer to Earth, resulting in stronger tides.”

AI-written and checked against the verified answer.