If I stand on a beach on the west coast of Britain, the waves are coming towards me. If I were standing on a beach on the east coast of America, the waves would also be coming towards me. At what place in the Atlantic do they change their minds?
2007-08-13 09:50:25 · 8 answers · asked by galyamike 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Learn boundary conditions. Waves are absorbed by the sand on a beach. The beach does not originate waves. Imagine any configuration of wind, the primary empowerment of waves. All result in either waves approaching the beach at some angle and being absorbed, or still water. As you probably guessed, waves are not sentient.
2007-08-13 17:19:13 · answer #1 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Waves generally move downwind. Bigger waves nearly always seem to move towards the shore. Why?
Because if the wind is "offshore" blowing away from you, then the nearby trees, buildings etc. block most of the wind and prevent it from hitting the water.
Even if there is significant wind speed on the water near you, it takes a few hundred meters for the waves to build up in size. At that distance you can't see them very well; unless your vantage point is considerably elevated.
As a former small boat sailor and windsurfer, I have frequently seen small ripples blowing away from the shore. A kilometer from shore these waves can get quite large.
2007-08-14 00:41:25 · answer #2 · answered by Tom H 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It certainly is not a silly question. The property of waves is to make a forward moving circular motion. So it is ideal you see them at both shores coming towards you.
So it might happen as "Tom" says, there are waves traveling in to the sea from the shores, which most of us failed to observe.
It is also possible that waves travel both ways or in all directions both inside and outside. At some point they meet, collapse and take the opposite direction back to the shores.
I am not too sure about the real data. But your question remains unguessed at one point, assuming that waves travel only to the shores and not from land inside to the seas? Then what is the point of origin for these circular waves? The apparent center of the Sea? Amazing really.
2007-08-20 07:17:47 · answer #3 · answered by Harihara S 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wherever the energy source is coming from. Energy causes water to, well, "wave", in directions away from it. Just like an earthquake. (except only the really violent ones gets the earth to "wave").
2007-08-13 17:01:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont think thats quite how it works. haha
its just near the beaches that there are waves coming in, you dont just see waves going wherever they feel like it in the middle of the ocean unless there's a storm.
2007-08-13 16:58:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Surface waves are usually wind-driven so look for a place with no wind.
2007-08-13 16:58:08 · answer #6 · answered by Rocket Scientist X 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
South of Iceland.
2007-08-13 16:59:35 · answer #7 · answered by Renaissance Man 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
in cuba??
2007-08-13 16:58:05 · answer #8 · answered by d dboi 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋