4 ms·
But I take it that the magnitude of the boom will get less severe the faster you go beyond the speed of sound?
by worldsayshi 13y ago
But I take it that the magnitude of the boom will get less severe the faster you go beyond the speed of sound?
- randallsquared 13y agoMore severe, I'd expect, since you're compressing the air more as you travel faster.
- jlgreco 13y agoYes, though not as much as you may think. Going faster tightens that pressure wave cone, but there are a lot of other factors too. Vehicle geometry seems to be a pretty dominating factor for example, longer aircraft have less severe sonic booms. Depending on the shape of your aircraft you may or may not get several shockwaves originating from different points that after a distance combine to form a larger shockwave. Altitude is a biggie too, the higher you are the less intense it will be. Take note of how the F-104 and Concorde compare (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_boom#Measurement_and_examples http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_boom#Measurement_and_exam...). The F-104 moves slightly slower, slightly lower, but has a much weaker sonic boom.