wave tank

A wave tank is a laboratory setup for observing the behavior of surface waves. The typical wave tank is a deep and narrow, transparent-sided box filled with liquid, usually water, leaving open or air-filled space on top. At one end of the tank an actuator generates waves; the other end usually has a wave-absorbing surface. A similar device is the ripple tank, which is flat and shallow and used for observing patterns of surface waves from above.

In literature

In the novel State of Fear, a wave tank was featured to simulate a planned man-made tsunami.^[1]

See also

• Airy wave theory
• Ocean waves
• Ripple tank
• Shallow water equations

References

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