Final answer:
White-caps form when the wind transfers energy to the water, creating waves that grow in size and eventually break due to increased interaction with the wind and the effect of shoaling near shore. The angle of protection for boats in a harbor is determined by the diffraction of waves through the harbor's entrance.
Step-by-step explanation:
“White-caps,” or the breaking of waves in deep water, form during the growth of a fully-generated sea when wind interacts with the ocean surface.
The wind transfers energy to the water, creating waves. This process starts with small ripples that grow as the wind's energy is continuously transferred to the water. Intense and long-lasting storms that affect larger areas can generate the most energy, leading to huge waves. When waves reach shallow water near shores, their energy is compressed into a smaller volume due to shoaling, leading to even higher waves and eventually causing them to break, forming white-caps.
Regarding the question about the harbor, waves with a 20.0-m wavelength entering through a 50.0-m-wide breakwater opening will diffract into the harbor. The angle at which boats are most protected from waves will depend on the diffraction pattern produced by the opening and the wave's wavelength.