Discussion
When the speed of a source equals the speed of sound (
v
=
c
) the wave fronts cannot escape the source.The resulting pile of waves forms a large amplitude "sound barrier" that makes sustained flight at this speeddifficult and risky.The term "sound barrier" or "sonic barrier" first came into use during World War Two. Fighter pilots engagedin high speed dives noticed several irregularities as flying speeds approached the speed of sound:aerodynamic drag increased markedly, much more than normally associated with increased speed, while liftand maneuverability decreased in a similarly unusual manner. Pilots at the time mistakenly thought thatthese effects meant that supersonic flight was impossible; that somehow airplanes would never travel fasterthan the speed of sound. They were wrong.When the speed of a source exceeds the speed of sound (
v
>
c
) the wave fronts lag behind the source in acone-shaped region with the source at the vertex. The edge of the cone forms a supersonic wave front withan unusually large amplitude called a "shock wave". When a shock wave reaches an observer a"sonic boom" is heard.insert N-wave discussionUnlike ordinary sound waves, the speed of a shock wave varies with its amplitude. The speed of a shockwave is always greater than the speed of sound in the fluid and decreases as the amplitude of the wavedecreases. When the shock wave speed equals the normal speed, the shock wave dies and is reduced to anordinary sound wave.
Jet fighter planes with conical shock waves made visible by condensation
The ratio of the speed of a moving object (
v
) to the speed of sound (
c
) in a fluid is known as theMach numberin honor ofErnst Mach(1838-1916), the Moravian physicist, psychologist, and philosopher
who studied sound and ballistics.
M
=
vc
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