| Energy Transport: Waves | ||
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| A wave is a periodic disturbance in space and/or time. By periodic we mean that its manifestation is seen at regular -- or at least predictable -- intervals in time and/or space. Waves transfer energy through a medium without significantly displacing the medium itself (see image below). To better understand this concept, think of "The Wave" at sporting events: there is an appearance of a wavelike motion but the people do not move away from their seats. |
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What can waves tell us about the ocean?
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A wave packet is a finite disturbance in space and is encountered in many ocean applications (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis, tidal bores). There are many examples of waves in fluids; from gravity waves (where the restoring force is gravity), to capillary waves (where the restoring force is surface tension), to sound (pressure waves) and light (electromagnetic waves), just to name a few. Tsunamis, tides, beach surf waves, and ripples are all gravity waves.
Waves have speeds associated with the movement of a crest (or trough) which are not necessarily the speed that energy is transferred by. One way to see this is by throwing a stone into a pond. You will observe crests that appear at the center and disappear at the outer edge of the disturbance; note that the disturbance itself propagates out at half the speed that the crests (or troughs) are moving.
How might this workshop benefit my students?
The hands-on activities presented here were designed to explore characteristics of shallow waves, internal waves, and sound. Full details and explanations of stations are available by clicking here (2.9 MB PDF file).
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