- A sonic boom is a loud explosive sound produced when an object (like an aircraft) travels faster than the speed of sound (Mach 1) in air.
- How It Is Produced:
- As the object moves, it compresses air, creating pressure waves in front of it.
- At subsonic speeds, these waves move ahead smoothly.
- At supersonic speeds, the object moves faster than these pressure waves can dissipate.
- The waves merge into a single shock wave, forming a cone-shaped shock front.
- When this shock wave reaches an observer, it is heard as a sonic boom.
- Applications/Examples:
- Supersonic jets (e.g., Concorde, military aircraft).
- Spacecraft re-entering Earth’s atmosphere.
