Past exam of the fluids and waves course of the University of Oxford / 2023 / 3 / b / iv / Solution

Let $\chi =kx-\omega t$, with $k>0$. The surface elevation is $\eta =\alpha \cos \chi$, so ${\eta }_t=\alpha \omega \sin \chi$. Use separation of variables in the interior Laplace equation:The $\sinh (k(z+h))$ term is excluded by the bed no-penetration boundary condition. The linear surface kinematic boundary condition determinesAn irrelevant additive constant is omitted. At $z=0$,The linear dynamic boundary condition then reduces toConsequently the dispersion relation of a floating elastic plate with zero plate inertia isThe negative-frequency branch gives propagation in the opposite direction. For signed wavenumber, replace $k$ by $|k|$ in the squared-frequency formula. Setting $B=0$ recovers the finite-depth surface gravity wave relation, a useful sign check.