Paul Bonavia, age l2, of Ottawa, Ont., Canada, for his question:

Where do waves begin?

Most ocean waves are whipped up by the wind. some are caused by sweeping ocean currents, and the monstrous so called tidal waves are caused by earthquakes under the sea. The daily tides dash pounding waves at the shoreline cliffs and send Meek little waves washing up and down the beaches.

The vast waters of the sea act like a restless fluid, and when one area is disturbed, the rippling waves spread far and wide. A storm near Hawaii sends giant waves hurtling thousands of Miles across the Pacific to the shores of California. The trade winds near the equator blow the waves Westward from Africa to America. All waves begin where the surface of the sea is disturbed and they often ripple on and on, around the globe.