ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Stokes wave

Ah, hello! So today we are going to talk about something called "Stokes wave." Do you know what a wave is? You see them at the beach sometimes, right?

A wave is like a big hill of water that moves towards the shore. Sometimes these waves can be little, and sometimes they can be really big. Now, imagine if we could make our own big wave in a swimming pool, but instead of just going up and down, the wave moved forward too. That's what a Stokes wave is!

Now, I know that might still sound a bit confusing, so let me try to explain it like you're really young. You know when you play with your bath toys in the water, and you make a little splash that goes outwards in all directions? Well, now imagine if you could take that splash and make it go straight ahead. That's what a Stokes wave is like!

Scientists study Stoke waves to learn more about how waves move and work. They use math and special equations to try and understand how they are created, how they change over time, and how they move through different materials like water or air. It's pretty cool stuff if you ask me!