Waves

The MIT Press Essential Knowledge

by Fredric Raichlen

A guide to ocean waves traces their evolution from wind-wave generation to coastal effects. Sitting on the beach on a sunny summer day, we enjoy the steady advance and retreat of the waves. In the water, enthusiastic waders jump and shriek with pleasure when a wave hits them. But where do these waves come from? How are they formed and why do they break on the shore? In Waves , Fredric Raichlen traces the evolution of waves, from their generation in the deep ocean to their effects on the coast. He explains, in a way that is readily understandable to nonscientists, both the science of waves themselves and the technology that can be used to protect us against their more extreme forms, including hurricanes and tsunamis. After offering a basic definition of waves and explaining the mechanics of wind-wave generation, Raichlen describes how waves travel, how they shoal (rise), how they break, and how they transform in other ways. He goes on to describe, among other things, the complicated sun-Earth-moon combinations that create astronomical tides (the high and low tides that occur daily and predictably); the effects of waves on the beach, including rip currents and beach erosion, and on harbors and shipping; and the building of breakwaters to protect harbors and bays. He discusses hurricanes, storm surges, and hurricane-generated waves. He offers a brief history of tsunamis, including Sumatra's in 2004 and Japan's in 2011, and explains the mechanisms that generate them (including earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes). Waves can be little ripples that lap peacefully at the shore or monstrous tsunamis that destroy everything in their paths. Describing the science underlying this astonishing variety, Waves offers a different kind of beach reading.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Physics

250 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2012

About the author

Fredric Raichlen, an expert on coastal engineering and wave mechanics, is Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus at Caltech.

Reviews

[Davut · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an easy-going, joyful book that explains the physics behind the waves, earthquakes and tsunamis. The way of explanation includes basic equations, proofs, emprical data and observations. It was a good experience to think about the engineering problems that are out of scope my own engineering area, and see the similarities.

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are looking for a textbook on waves, you have come to the right place. However, I do believe that there are likely authors of textbooks who are more relatable than this author. In the beginning of the book, he writes about how his young children pester him with questions about waves that are as endless as the waves themselves. He goes on to explain how he has written this book for the inquisitive layperson. This is not how the book reads.

From things the authors wrote throughout the book, if I had to guess what he would say if someone asked him why the book was so non-relatable, he would likely say that waves are complicated and to really explain them, you need to explain the maths behind them. However, I can read and enjoy Sean Carroll, Lawrence Krauss, Max Tegmark and other writers who convey math-heavy concepts to the lay-reader in enjoyable ways that cause their readers to have multiple mindgasms. Unless you wanted a very dry textbook version of waves, you will likely not gasm at all, but rather be left with nothing but waves of frustration.

My favorite part of the book was when he discussed tsunamis. But, I feel like I could get a better, and certainly more exciting, discussion of tsunamis and earthquakes elsewhere.

In all fairness, I skipped around a bit. This is something I almost never too. In fact, it probably only occurs in 1 out of every 100 books I read. Since I did skip chunks, it's possible there was some relatable information that I missed. But for me, going back to find out what that is, simply isn't worth it.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half math, half interesting facts about waves and their place in human society. Mostly it made me yearn for a more pop science take on the subject as I don't know that most people come to a book like this looking for equations. If you're into seismology and tsunamis I'd recommend Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest, if it's hurricanes and storm surge that turn your crank Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History is hard to beat.

I listened to this on audiobook and I thought the narrator did a great job! I've got some more audiobooks from the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series on deck, hopefully those will hit a little better for me than this one did.

[Chris Esposo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very specifically an introductory overview of waves applied to the fluid dynamics of water and the engineering and science used to mitigate severe weather events on coasts via the construction of sea-walls.

Topics covered include definitions of waves, celerity, wavelength, amplitude, types of waves (standing etc.), the fluid dynamics of wave moments, the differential in velocity of a wave, how energy (classical, not Hamiltonian) is understood for wave dynamics etc. Once this basic definitional work is done and some results are derived, it is directly applied to wave phenomena on coastlines.

This later 2/3rd of the book was less interesting for me, but if you're interested in coastal natural disaster preparedness, this is a good place to start. Although, if one is going to get the audiobook, they'll definitely need either the Kindle or physical copy, as critical diagrams, and equations are not provided in any attachment for the audiobook.

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Recall that a wave's speed is directly proportional to its period, so that with dispersion the longer-period waves move out in front of the shorter-period waves." (of swell, 42)

"Because the moon is inclined 28.65 degrees relative to the equatorial plane of the Earth, the moon distorts this sheet of water so that it bulges along the line passing through the centers of the Earth and the moon. Owing to the tidal displacement, the water-covered Earth is a prolate spheroid shape -- in essence, a squashed sphere. ... The rotation of the Earth beneath this uneven sheet of water gives rise to the oscillation between high and low tides at a given position on the Earth's surface." (104-5)

"The contribution of the sun to the tides on Earth is 0.457 that of the moon." (107)

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

🌊🌊🌊

It was a good read.

I found it pretty interesting. Learned a lot about waves.

It was, however (and ironically), fairly dry content-wise.

I still did enjoy it.

3.0/5

[André · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOT A LITERARY OR AESTHETIC OR ROMANTIC OR PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEMPLATION ON WATER WAVES

...but a small natural science primer on their origins, structure and dynamics, as well as an introduction to the objectives, means and side effects of coastal engineering and beach management.
Living rather ignorant on an island for 24 years I've learned something about waves and Raichlen's profession and will probably devote more time to the subject, it's fun.

All books from the MIT Press' Essential Knowledge series are pocket books with a pleasant stiff and glossy softcover. The key statements are repeated every few pages in big white letters on a separate black book page to make content stick.
Here, however, I found the black pages and illustrations not properly in sync with Raichlen's text, they often appear out of context (as opposed to the "Beliefs" or "Metadata" books from this series for instance).

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I read to learn, and sometimes I learn while reading... this book was both. Fascinating...

[Ed Peckham · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too difficult to get into for a non-wave scientist