What happens to the motion of the paritcles in a water wave, as the depth increases?
Thank you very much.
Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "water wave motion depth" to get these possible sources:
http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos/waves/wavemotion.html
http://www.seafriends.org.nz/oceano/waves.htm
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/waves/watwav2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_surface_wave
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream//ocean/wave_max.htm
In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.
I hope this helps. Thanks for asking.
As the depth of water increases, the motion of particles in a water wave changes. To understand why, let's break it down step by step:
1. What causes a water wave? A water wave is formed due to disturbances, such as wind or a moving object, which create a ripple effect on the water's surface.
2. How does a water wave propagate? As a water wave propagates, it consists of a series of crests (high points) and troughs (low points). The energy of the wave travels through the water, but the water particles themselves move in a circular or elliptical motion.
3. How does depth affect water waves? As the depth of the water increases, the behavior of the particles in the wave changes. The key factors influencing this change are water depth and the wavelength of the wave.
- Shallow water: In shallow water (where the depth is less than half the wavelength of the wave), the circular motion of the particles becomes flattened. The particles move primarily in an elliptical motion, with the major axis of the ellipse oriented in the direction of wave propagation. This means that the motion of the particles is mainly restricted to a back-and-forth motion along a horizontal line as the wave passes.
- Deep water: In deep water (where the depth is greater than half the wavelength of the wave), the circular motion of the particles becomes more pronounced. The particles move in circular orbits, with the diameter of the orbit decreasing as the depth increases. The motion of the particles becomes more three-dimensional, extending both vertically and horizontally.
So, to summarize, as the depth of water increases, the motion of particles in a water wave changes from primarily horizontal in shallow water to a more three-dimensional circular motion in deep water. This change in motion is due to the interplay between water depth and the wavelength of the wave.