ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Mild-slope equation

The mild-slope equation is a formula that helps people figure out how waves move in the ocean. Imagine you're standing at the beach and you look out into the water. You see the waves moving up and down. The mild-slope equation can help people understand how those waves will change as they spread out across the ocean floor.

It's like when you pour water down a slide at the park. At first, the water is moving very fast and making lots of waves. But as it goes down the slide, it starts to spread out and slow down. The waves also start to get smaller and smoother. This is kind of what happens when waves move through the ocean.

The mild-slope equation helps us understand how the waves will change as they get farther away from the shore. It looks at things like the depth of the water and the shape of the ocean floor, to figure out how the waves will behave. This can help people predict where the waves will be strong, where they will be weak, and how they might affect things like boats or beaches.

So, in summary, the mild-slope equation is a fancy way of figuring out how ocean waves move and change as they spread out across the ocean floor.