Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: paul.fr on 04/06/2007 18:45:18

Title: why are ripples always circular?
Post by: paul.fr on 04/06/2007 18:45:18

if i throw a ball in to the pond, the ripples are round. Well ok, my ball was round. But if i throw a house brick the ripples are still round even though the brick is not! why is that?

Title: why are ripples always circular?
Post by: Bored chemist on 04/06/2007 19:41:28

All the ripples start out from (pretty nearly) the same place at the same time. Waves in water travel at a constant speed (it's about 3 feet a second IIRC) after 1 second the waves are all 3 feet from the initial point and the only way they can all be the same distance from a given point is to be a circle (strictly, they could bo on a sphere but that's a bit silly)

Title: why are ripples always circular?
Post by: daveshorts on 05/06/2007 08:56:43

If you throw a brick in water, When the ripple starts off it will be oblong. In one direction it will be about 6 inches by 3 inches. 1 second later the ripples will have expanded by 3 feet so the total ripple will be 6 foot 6 inches by 6 foot 3 inches. After 2 seconds, 12 foot 6 inches by 12foot 3 inches etc.

So basically it is never perfectly circular, but the errors from a circle stay the same size as the ripples expand rapidly.

Title: why are ripples always circular?
Post by: Ashtari on 06/06/2007 11:00:31

Paul.fr

Click on this and see what you wanted to know.  [:X]


http://www.heartcoherence.com/starmother/DynaRainbow_MPhi.htm


Ashtari