Why Shallow Water Slows Down Water Waves

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the phenomenon of water waves traveling more slowly in shallow water compared to deep water. Participants explore various factors influencing wave speed, including friction, diffraction, and the relationship between wave properties such as amplitude and speed. The scope includes theoretical explanations and mathematical relationships.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that friction against the shallow ground contributes to the slower speed of water waves in shallow water.
  • Others argue that diffraction plays a significant role, suggesting that waves lose energy and speed as they spread out and lose amplitude when moving from deep to shallow water.
  • A participant questions the relationship between speed and amplitude, seeking clarification on the formula relating speed, wavelength, and frequency.
  • One participant introduces the linear dispersion relation, explaining how phase velocity increases with water depth and how amplitude dispersion affects wave speed, noting that phase velocity increases with amplitude.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the factors affecting wave speed in shallow water, and the discussion remains unresolved with no consensus reached on the primary cause.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on specific assumptions about wave properties and conditions, such as the relationship between amplitude and phase velocity, which may not be universally applicable.

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why water wave travel more slowly in shallow water than deep water?
 
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Probably because of friction against the shallow ground.
 
Its probably because of the difraction of the wave. Off land, in deep water, the wave is more compact and has a higher amplitude. But once the wave gets to shalower water and moves inland, it diffracts, spreads out, and loses amplitude. This causes it to lose energy, and speed. It also could be because of friction.
 
What is the relationship between speed and amplitude?Is the formula Speed=wave length*frequency?
 
First of all, why does a given wave travel faster in deep water ?
To answer this sufficiently, we may regard the linear dispersion relation, which relates the wavenumber "k" with the phase velocity "c":
[tex]c=\sqrt{\frac{g}{k}}\sqrt{Tanh(kh)}[/tex]
g is the acceleration of gravity, whereas "h" is the water depth.
Keeping the wavelength (and hence, k) constant and varying "h" we see that "c" increases with "h", having as maximum [tex]\sqrt{\frac{g}{k}}[/tex]

Secondly, how does the phase velocity vary with the wave amplitude?
(This is called "amplitude dispersion")
This is a (stongly) non-linear effect, suffice it to say that the phase velocity increases with the amplitude.
 

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