The Science behind Tsunamis: Studying the Effect of Water Depth on Wave Velocity

Overview

Objectives/Goals The purpose of my project is to study the effect of water depth on wave velocity in tsunamis. Methods/Materials In my experiment, I simulate waves by dropping a wood block into a water tank filled with 4 different water depths (independent variable) and record their wave velocity (dependent variable). For each depth, I perform 3 trials and 10 tests per trial. In addition to my tsunami simulation experiment, I also calculate the wave velocity as a function of water depth using a math equation - velocity is the square root of the product of the acceleration of gravity (9.8 sec/m2) and the water depth. Results Based on my tsunami simulation experiment, the wave velocity for water depths of 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 cm were 45, 53, 62 and 70 cm/seconds respectively. Based on my math equation calculation, the wave velocity for water depths of 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 meters were 22, 31, 44, 70 & 99 m/seconds respectively. Both my experimental results and calculated results show similar shaped curves on a graph. Conclusions/Discussion The result after 120 tests supported my hypothesis that wave velocity decreases as depth reduces. I hope that by studying the science behind tsunamis, we can understand these killer waves more thus building a better warning system to save more lives.

Competition history

• CSEF 2014 Aerodynamics/ Hydrodynamics (Junior Division Only) · Entry J0115

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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