The Tsunami stopper

Alright hear me out please, I dont know much about physics but I was at the pool the other day when all of the sudden something pop in my head.

I was moving my arms front and back like creating waves when I notice that when those was collided in the middle the energy of each would dissipate of the other.

Now does anyone here thinks that a device could be created that would finction in such a manner that would prevent a tsunami from ever reaching land or at least reduce significantly the effect of incoming wave?

It sounds like the way anti-sound works but you would have a machine that is able to generate waves the size of a small apartment-complex

Just to let you know, A tsunami wave isnt only on the surface, as your waves in the pool. they can bee 100 meters high or more _below_ the surface.

Thats why they suddenly appear out of nowhere on the beach. Its because of the elevation of the ground moving up to the beach.

Se example ...


Now, what kind of doomsday device could possibly counter strike a 100 meter high and thousand miles long wave?

The phenomenon the OP is talking about is just destructive interference, I believe. You know, two waves with opposite amplitude meets and cancels each other out in that point. They DO continue after that, they are just neutralised in that single spot.

With current technology, no it couldnt be done.

You're talking about creating a wave that would need to hit the Tsunami at the right point to effectively cancel it out. It would have to be mobile and big enough to deploy across an entire coast line. This is not even mentioning the power that would need to be release in one shot to release an equal and opposite wave to the incoming Tsunami

I suppose if one was invented it could be called 'Canute II' as the original Canute didnt work too well on tides.

[edit on 23-5-2008 by Mark Roazhar]

Originally posted by tep200377

Now, what kind of doomsday device could possibly counter strike a 100 meter high and thousand miles long wave?

I dont know if it can be created, like I said I dont know much about this, just posted out of curiosity. But hey!!! now that you have mention the word doomsday, it would not surprise me that the military would fund some reasearch for this.

Stoping a tsunami with a counter wave is like trying to stop a wave from a wave pool with your arm. It's not gonna happen anytime soon