Chapter 20, Problem 1GST

To determine

The movement of the raft at rest beyond the surf zone and the way in which this movement differs if the raft is at rest in the surf zone.

Answer to Problem 1GST

When the raft is at rest beyond the surf zone, the raft moves up and down much than the lateral because it is not affected by the bottom of the ocean floor. When the raft rests in the surf zone, there is more lateral movement because of the turbulent flow of waves by touching the ocean floor.

Explanation of Solution

The ocean waves are the energy waves that are travelling along the interface between the ocean and atmosphere. The wind is the major source of energy which shapes up and modifies the shorelines.

When a wave moves, each drop of water in a near circle results in the transfer of wave energy. This movement is known as circular orbital motion. When an object floats in the wave, it moves slightly back and front along with the upward and downward movement of each wave. When the path is traced, the object moves in a circular motion and it returns to the same position.

The waves are unaffected by the depth over the deep waters. When the wave approaches the shore, the depth of water affects the wave since it is in shallower depth. The interference of the wave bottom with water depths slows down the advance of a waveat this zone

When the wave approaches the shore, the wavelength and speed decreases and the wave constantly rises high. When the wave reaches its critical point of maximum steepness, it collapses causing water to flow onto the shore.