4 ms·

The water moves in circles/ellipses.

• Majromax 8y ago
  Not in closed circles/ellipses. With finite wave amplitudes, a fluid parcel in wave motion experiences Stokes Drift (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokes_drift https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokes_drift). In water, this effect arises because the fluid is deeper at the crest of the wave than at the trough, and wave velocities are faster in deeper water. The fluid parcel moves up -> forwards quickly -> down -> backwards more slowly. I'm curious about whether the researchers here have demonstrated a similar effect for sound waves. Pressure waves have similar dynamics (with faster particle movement at lower pressures), and the researchers mention that this is a finite-amplitude effect.