Question

A water break at the entrance to a harbor consists of a rock barrier with a 74.0 m wide opening. Ocean waves of 35.1 m wavelength approach the opening straight on. At what angle to the incident direction are the boats inside the harbor most protected against wave action

Answer 1

`\theta=28.32 \textdegree`

Step-by-step explanation:

From the question we are told that:

Width of opening
`w=74.0m`

Wavelength
`\lambda=35.1m`

Generally the equation for Angle is mathematically given by

Since the ocean diffracts

Therefore the relation

`n\lambda=dsin\theta`

`\theta=sin^(-1)((n\lambda)/(d))`

Where

n =nth order minimal (n=1 for smallest safe angle)

Therefore

`\theta=sin^(-1)((1*35.1)/(74))`

`\theta=28.32 \textdegree`