Angry Seas [was duck-pond puzzle]

[brian whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 22:05 7/20/00 -0400, John D wrote:
> ...  We are concerned with the surface
> ripples, not sound waves in the bulk of the water or air.
> ... how the _amplitude_ of this wave falls off as a function of
> distance.

A follow-up tease....
    in the real world, sailors sometimes poured oil on troubled waters
to ease the progress of a small boat.

 I assert that this would paradoxically increase the mean amplitude of
the chop. Why?


brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>  Altus OK
                Eureka!