Expert: Ed - 4/14/2008

Question
#1 During the phase of the moon called the 1/3 quarter we see 1/4 of the moon's surface illuminated by the sun. How much of the entire surface of the moon is actually illuminated by the sun during this phase of the moon?
#2 how many high tides are there in a typical 24 hour period?

Answer
Renee,

At any given moment, half of the moon's surface is illuminated by the sun.  Usually only a fraction of the illuminated surface is pointed toward us, so we can't always see it.  So, the answer to the first part of your question is "one half."  Look at this US Navy website.
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/moon_phases.php

The answer to your second question is "two."

If you're really interested, I should tell you that sometimes there are exceptions.  Look at this website if you'd like to learn about them.
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/env99/env99353.htm

But the way your question is phrased, "in a typical 24 hour period," the answer is definitely two.

Keep Looking Up,
--Ed