Sea waves - the illusion of human vision

Nowadays it is difficult to imagine thatonce on Earth there were no people and cities in which they live now, as well as roads and arable lands. But the fact is that in all geological periods there was an ocean, and just like today, the waves of the sea rolled between it and the shores. Indeed, the most ancient landscape on our planet is a view of a rippling water surface covering two thirds of it. How many poets inspired by the waves of the sea! But does their description reflect the real essence of this phenomenon?

We look at the pictures:the waves of the sea seem to us to them sliding along the water column. But it turns out that it is not. If you look at a chip or any other object on the water (for example, a boat), we notice that the oncoming sea waves do not push it, but only raise it, then lower it. Similarly, up and down is agitated when the wind gusts a yellowing field in the fields. Her ears and stalks do not change their location and do not roll from one place to another. They just go a little forward, and then return to their original position. But we do not see this, because we are witnessing "waves" running across the field one after another, and all the ears of corn remain in the same place.

A similar phenomenon is reflected in the oral folkcreativity. Recall the proverb comparing the rumor of the people and the waves of the sea. How quickly the news spread through the city. But no one runs from one end to the other, proclaiming them. Just the news is transmitted by waves from mouth to mouth and cover the entire territory.

But back to our topic.What is the reason for these beautiful, fast and strong waves of the sea, whose photos can shake our imagination and even make you fear? She is known even to children: "Wind, wind! You are powerful!". His gusts hit the water and "bend" its surface. As a result, part of it sags down, and part of it flies up. In this case, the excitement is transmitted to other points and captures vast areas. And here we are already witnessing a horizontal effect, transmitted with great speed. The waves caused by an earthquake also spread very quickly. At the same time, they are observed not only on the water, but also on the surface of the earth.

Illusions of our vision affect perception of height.waves on the sea or ocean. The legends about waves as high as a whole mountain turned out to be unproven after scientists measured them in reality. The point here is that during a storm, the observers are on the deck of the ship, which, together with the water column, then drops sharply down, then soars up on the crest of a wave. With such a pitching motion, even low waves seem like huge shafts. This happens because the passenger on the deck observes them not vertically, but diagonally equal to the length of the slope. In the open sea, wind power is always more powerful. But salt water has a high density and does not allow it to create huge waves. For mariners, this phenomenon is often associated with a natural disaster. But for the living creatures that inhabit the water depths, the waves of the sea (both large and small) serve as a blessing. They saturate their habitat with oxygen.