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...Kelvin wakes pertain only to displacement boats.
Does the turbulent wake *look* different, apart from
having a variable angle?
Certainly. The turbulent wake has a turbulent surface;
it "breaks" or is "foamy". The Kelvin wake is a laminar
phenomenon that propagates as a coherent wave from a
boat moving with constant velocity....
I also recall a speedboat wake as being just a continuous line in each v -
must check if this is observed.
I expect it is incoherent and will not propagate for
long distances. The Kelvin wake of a planing speedboat
probably persists long after the turbulent wake has
dissipated....
Leigh
I have now looked up the result in a book. The opening
angle of the wavelet fronts is 109.5 degrees, independent
of boat velocity. The book, "Bores, Breakers, Waves, and
Wakes" by R. A. R. Tricker, first published in 1964 by
Mills & Boon Limited, London, has a very clear derivation
which should be quite accessible to brighter IB students.
The downside is that the book itself is not very
accessible. I couldn't find it at six booksellers' web
sites that I tried.