Table 19. Ratio of correct significant height 
to value obtained by erroneous 
extrapolation of the pressure record 
upwards 
Significant Amplification Ratio 
period (sec) factor 
24.0 1.071 1.332 
20.0 1.107 1.311 
ce 1.138 1.293 
15.0 1.197 1.260 
13.4 16257 1.230 
12.0 1 349 1.192 
sO 1.433 26151 
10.0 1.548 1107 
9.2 1.662 1.069 
8.6 1.812 1.023 
8.0 2,025 0.967 
7.6 2.223 0.925 
7.0 2.512 0.869 
6.6 2.843 0.817 
6.4 3.342 0.753 
Significant height and period 
The remarks so far in this paper have been in many cases directed 
against the concept of the "significant" (or characteristic) height 
and period method of wave analysis. There is really nothing wrong 
fundamentally with these concepts. The thing that is wrong is the 
way that the concepts have been misapplied. 
The physical meaning of the average height of the one third 
highest waves, for example, can possibly be deduced from the power 
integrals and the autocorrelation function and the fact that the 
records are Gaussian. Such a number depends in a very complicated 
96 
