Final answer:
During shoaling, ocean waves encounter shallower water and slow down, causing an increase in wave height and a decrease in wavelength to conserve energy. Similarly, light waves experience a decrease in speed and wavelength when passing from a less dense medium to a denser one, with the frequency remaining constant.
Step-by-step explanation:
As ocean waves shoal, the process of them encountering shallower water near the shore causes the wave to slow down due to friction with the seabed. Because the wave energy is now moving through a smaller volume of water as the depth decreases, the wave's height increases, and the wavelength shortens, which is due to the conservation of energy. The wave's frequency remains the same, leading to a decrease in the wavelength since the speed of the wave decreases.
Similarly, when light waves pass from a vacuum (or air) into a medium like water, the speed of light decreases because of the denser material. The decrease in speed is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in wavelength, while the frequency remains unchanged to conserve the energy of the light waves. This interplay between speed, wavelength, and frequency is a fundamental principle of wave behavior.