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6 votes
6 votes
Please help me How do water particles in a wave move?

Question 2 options:

In a circular motion.


In a straight line with the wave.


They do not move.


They move backwards.

User SerKnight
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1 Answer

19 votes
19 votes
Water waves are an example of waves that involve a combination of both longitudinal and transverse motions. As a wave travels through the waver, the particles travel in clockwise circles. The radius of the circles decreases as the depth into the water increases. The animation at right shows a water wave travelling from left to right in a region where the depth of the water is greater than the wavelength of the waves. I have identified two particles in orange to show that each particle indeed travels in a clockwise circle as the wave passes.
User Eightgate
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