Velocity Of Propagation Formula:
| From: | To: |
The Velocity of Propagation in Linear Dispersion Relation describes the speed at which waves travel through a fluid medium, considering the relationship between wave frequency and wave number. It's particularly important in coastal engineering and oceanography for understanding wave behavior.
The calculator uses the formula:
Where:
Explanation: The formula calculates wave propagation velocity by considering gravitational effects, water depth, and wave characteristics through the hyperbolic tangent function.
Details: Accurate calculation of wave propagation velocity is crucial for coastal engineering, tsunami prediction, offshore structure design, and understanding wave energy distribution in marine environments.
Tips: Enter coastal mean depth in meters and wave number in radians per meter. Both values must be positive numbers greater than zero for accurate calculation.
Q1: What is the physical significance of the hyperbolic tangent function in this formula?
A: The tanh function accounts for the transition between deep water waves (where tanh(kd) ≈ 1) and shallow water waves (where tanh(kd) ≈ kd), providing accurate results across all depth regimes.
Q2: How does water depth affect wave propagation velocity?
A: In deep water, wave speed depends primarily on wavelength. In shallow water, wave speed becomes dependent on water depth, decreasing as depth decreases.
Q3: What are typical values for wave propagation velocity in ocean waves?
A: Ocean wave velocities typically range from 5-25 m/s for wind waves, while tsunami waves can travel at speeds up to 200-800 km/h in deep ocean.
Q4: Are there limitations to this linear dispersion relation?
A: The linear theory assumes small amplitude waves and may not accurately represent extreme wave conditions or nonlinear wave interactions.
Q5: How is this calculation used in practical applications?
A: This calculation is essential for coastal protection design, ship navigation, offshore platform design, and predicting wave arrival times for tsunami warning systems.