Surface waves generated by a travelling pressure point

Abstract

Abstract Kelvin’s classical ship-wave theory (Thomson 1891) gives an asymptotic form for the waves generated by a pressure point moving over a water surface. This paper presents a method of working out the asymptotic expansions which is simpler than those of the various previous theories, although it does not give new or more accurate results. The technique used is due to Lighthill (1958, 1960). The case in which the water has infinite depth is considered in detail, and corresponding results when the depth is finite are deduced. A final section considers the effect of surface tension.