So I have been to multiple beaches this Summer and I have figured out that the waves are very different in each area. At first I thought it was because of the moon and it sort of was. What I figured out was that waves are formed by friction on the surface. Friction on the surface basically means anything moving across the surface causing the water to move around. If you have ever looked behind a moving boat you can see waves or wake. This is made by the boat moving over the surface of the water. Once the surface water starts moving it becomes faster than the water below it. As the water on top speeds up it creates an arch above the water. This arch is the curve in the waves you see and the one in the picture below. The more the surface water moves the bigger the wave! It can also be formed by underwater earthquakes. That is how the tsunamis are usually formed. In VA beach the waves weren't very good until the last day when it was really windy. Then the big waves were more frequent.
1 Comment
Pat Barnhardt
9/1/2013 06:29:12 am
Wow! What a cool blog, Ben. I will never walk in sand in ignorance again. You've enlightened me! I'm sitting at school and the speakers on my computer are pretty much shot (getting a new computer this week) so I couldn't get the commentary on all of your subjects. I didn't know anything about foiling. Gosh, that would be cool to do. It's amazing what your microscope can do. We might have to show the paramecium (paramecia?) in Personal Development class. Thank you so much for educating me today. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep it up! Education is all about asking questions and looking for answers. You're on the right road.
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BenI'm an eighth grader and want to share my love of science with others. Archives
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