Term | Definition |
Wave | Transmission of energy through matter. |
Progressive Waves: Longitudinal Waves | move through all states of matter and occur when energy moves in the same direction with the matter |
Progressive Waves: Transverse Waves | only transmit through solids. Occur when energy motion is perpendicular to travel direction |
Progressive Waves: Orbital Waves | Only transmit though fluids. Occur when energy moves through fluid in a circular motion as it passes. |
Speed of a Wave | Wavelength/Period |
Crest | Highest point of a wave |
Trough | Lowest point of a wave |
Height | Vertical Measurement from trough to crest |
Wavelength | Horizontal distance between two identical parts of a wave (Ex: Crest to crest) |
Period | Time it takes for two waves to hit the same spot. (time in between waves) |
Frequency | The number of waves that pass the same fixed point in one second |
Disturbing Forces | Wind, gravity, and seismic activity (earthquakes) |
Deep Water Waves | occur in water that is half their wavelength |
Shallow Water Waves | Occur in water that is shallower than half the wavelength |
Factors That Affect Maximum Wave Size | -Wind speed faster than the wave. -Wave duration. -Fetch (surface area in which the wind blows) |
When does a wave break? | in deep water, a wave breaks when its heighth exceeds one seventh of its wavelength |
Storm Surge | destructive wave that forms when high winds push water against shore where it piles up. |
Seiches | Form in bodies of water smaller than an ocean as a waves that rocks back and forth. It results form a strong wind that pushes water level up on one side of a lake |
Tsunamis | Result form sudden water displacement caused by a landslide, iceberg, volcanic eruption or more commoly an earthquake |
Standing Wave | Vertical oscillation in which water rocks back and forth rising and falling at the ends, but realitively montionless at the center. |
Correolis effect | tendency for the path of an object moving in the North Hemisphere to deflect to the right or the left in the Southern Hemisphere. |
Gyre | Circular flow of currents in an ocean basin due to the correolis effect |
Tides | result from the gravitational pull mostly from the moon, but also the sun |
Newton's Equalibrium Theory | Thought the world was perfectly uniform; proved to be wrong |
Laplace's Modification: Dynamic Theory | modified Newton's model to account for tidal cariation. He discovered there are not two, but severaltidal bulges |
Amphidromatic Points | Points where water doesnt rise or fall with the tides, just rotates |
Diurnal tides | single high and low tides in a 24-hour period. This is seen on the Gulf Coast |
SemiDiurnal Tides | Two roughly equal high and low tides daily |
Flood Current | inflow of a tide |
Slack Current | outflow of a tide |
Slack Tide | midpoint of a tide |