Past exam of the fluids and waves course of the University of Oxford / 2017 / 3 / b / ii / Solution

Linearize about fluid at rest, with mean free surface $y=0$ and mean bottom $y=-d$. Regard $a$, $\eta$ and the perturbation velocity potential as first-order quantities. A Taylor expansion from $y=\eta$ to $y=0$ produces products of first-order quantities, as do ${\varphi }_x{\eta }_x$ and $|\nabla \varphi {|}^2$. Discarding these second-order terms gives the linearized free-surface boundary conditionsEquivalently, differentiate the second condition in time and substitute the first to obtain ${\varphi }_{tt}+g{\varphi }_y=0$ at $y=0$.

The bottom is also impermeable and moving. Its exact kinematic boundary condition follows from $D(y-h)/Dt=0$:Here $h_t=-akc\cos (k(x-ct))$, while ${\varphi }_x{h}_x$ and the change from evaluating ${\varphi }_y$ at $h$ to evaluating it at $-d$ are second order. HenceThe interior Laplace equation remains ${\varphi }_{xx}+{\varphi }_{yy}=0$ on $-d<y<0$. This linearization requires small slopes and small resulting excursions as well as $a\ll d$; close to resonance a small prescribed bottom displacement can produce a response too large for it.