TITLE:
Frictionless Surface Gravity Waves
AUTHORS:
Kern E. Kenyon
KEYWORDS:
Surface Gravity Waves, No Friction
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.12 No.4,
April
1,
2020
ABSTRACT: A
physical explanation is given for the observations that ocean surface gravity
waves can travel up to half way around the world from generation in a wind storm
to dissipation on shore. Inherent in these waves is an orbital fluid particle
motion, known from laboratory experiments, that has no friction according to
the Navier-Stokes equations. The prediction is based on application of
Bernoulli’s law to all the closed orbital paths of the fluid particles and the
cross-stream force balance on the particles between a pressure gradient and the
centrifugal force in each orbital loop.