Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 April 2009
For three possible types of tide-well systems the non-dimensional head response, Y(τ), to a sinusoidal fluctuation of the sea-level is given by the differential equation Estimates of the non-dimensional well response Z(τ) = sinτ - Y(τ) are found by considering the steady state solutions of the above equation. With n = 2 the equation is linear and an exact solution can be found; for n ≠ 2 the equation is non-linear and several methods which give approximate solutions are described. The methods used can be extended to cover other values of n; for example, with n = 4 the equation corresponds to one governing oscillations near resonance in open pipes.