CE632-COMPUTATIONAL HYDRAULICS AND HYDROLOGY
SPRING 2002
FINAL EXAM
TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2002, 1900-2100

Name: ______________________ S.S. No. ________________ Grade: _______

Instructions: Closed book, closed notes. Use engineering paper. When you are finished, staple your work in sequence, and return this sheet with your work. Answer only 10 questions.

  1. With reference to the diffusion wave modeling of catchment dynamics, why does the diffusion wave method provide grid independence for a wide range of resolution levels, while the kinematic wave method does not?

  2. What are the three issues surrounding the kinematic wave controversy?

  3. Why is the dynamic extension to the hydraulic diffusivity of kinematic-diffusion waves correct from the standpoint of hydrodynamics?

  4. What two kinds of errors arise in numerical modeling? Explain which one is related to stability, and which one to convergence.

  5. What is the purpose of the weighting factor used in implicit numerical schemes of partial differential equations?

  6. Why does the Muskingum-Cunge method work best at Courant number equal to 1? What happens for Courant greater than 1? For Courant less than 1?

  7. How does the speed of a bed disturbance compare with the speed of a water surface disturbance?

  8. What are the parameters used in amplitude and phase portraits of implicit numerical models of shallow wave water propagation?

  9. What are the differences between explicit and implicit schemes? Which one would you prefer? Why?

  10. Why is a dam-breach flood wave likely to be dynamic in nature?

  11. What two types of boundary conditions arise in two-dimensional groundwater modeling? Explain. Why is an implicit model of groundwater flow likely to be inaccurate?

  12. Describe the role of convective inertia and bottom friction in the numerical specification of circulation in two-dimensional depth-averaged flow.