GCSE PHYSICS - What Causes Water Waves to Refract?

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The Refraction of Water Waves.

What Causes Water Waves to Refract?

Water waves travel faster on the surface of deep water
than they do on shallow water.
The change in speed of the wave will cause refraction
as shown in the picture below.

$Refraction of Water Waves going from Deep to Shallow Water$

As you can see, the change in speed has changed
the direction of the wave. The slower wave
in the shallow water has a smaller wavelength.

The amount of refraction increases
as the change in speed of the wave increases.

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