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Ocean Waves in Physics

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The ocean covers 71 percent of the earth’s surface, and about 97 percent of all water on earth is from the ocean. Ocean waves are disturbances in the ocean that move energy from one place to another. The most common types of waves (such as the small waves out in open sea) are caused by wind on the ocean’s surface. As the wind gains strength, the oceans surface gradually changes from smooth to rough (a common term for the roughness developing in the water is “cat paws”). First ripples will form along the surface, and then larger waves will begin to form, this is called chop. As the waves continue to build three factors decide the final size. Theses factors are wind speed, wind duration, and the area where the wind is blowing (this is called the fetch). A group of waves have several crests that are separated by troughs ( A trough is a hollow between two wave crests). The height of the wave is known as the amplitude, the distance between each wave is called wavelength and the time between each wave is called the period. Ocean waves behave just like light rays, and are reflected or refracted by obstacles in their way ( for example, islands or reefs). The “overall state of a sea surface” can be measured by using the significant wave height ( defined as: “the average height of the highest one third of the waves”). As waves approach the shore, their motion begins to interact with the sea floor. This slows the wave and causes the wave crests to bunch up, which is known as shoaling. The wave gains height, and the period remains constant as the energy it contains is compressed, and eventually breaks. In a plunging breaker, which usually occurs on steeper shores, the crest curls and falls over the front of the wave, and the entire wave collapses. When ocean waves reach the coast line they can also refract. This concentration of energy onto the headlands and shapes some

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