(Definition of âhowdyâ from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary Â© Cambridge University Press)
A wave is an up and down movement of water. When we talk about waves, we use special words to name their parts. The highest point of a wave is called the crest. The lowest point is called the trough. Wave height is the vertical distance between the crest and trough. Wavelength is the horizontal distance between waves in a series. Wavelength can be measured between two wave crests. It can be measured between two wave troughs.
According to the eyewitnesses, the wave crest was only between 25 and 50-foot wide, and the front slope was steeper than the back of the wave. The event that produced the largest wave ever recorded was later studied and modeled by Hermann M. Fritz (1999), Charles L. Mader and Michael L. Gittings (2002). Learn how waves are formed.