Ocean Waves
We know that ocean waves are transverse waves and carriers of energy over long distances. The characteristic of a transverse wave is that the direction of wave motion is perpendicular to the direction of wave oscillation which is not so in a longitudinal wave like a sound wave. Electromagnetic waves are also transverse waves. Fig.1 orbital motion of water particles in a water wave Fig.2 direction of velocity of water particle due to a wave In deep ocean waves, water particle on the surface exhibit circular motion as shown in Fig.1. The particle velocity on top of a crest is towards the direction of wave motion whereas, in a trough, the particle velocity is in the opposite direction as shown in Fig.2. The velocity of water particles reduces exponentially as one goes down in depth and the wave effect vanishes after a certain depth. Since there is a longitudinal motion of particles, why should ocean waves not be conside...