Talk:Sonic boom

Reference of sounds
There are several allusions to sounds with very large decibel ranges. The sounds referenced do not have anyhthing to reinforce the readers understanding of what that sound can be compared to. So information was added to further explain in depth.

Supersonic Aircraft
This text mentions supersonic aircraft on several occasions but does not clarify what a supersonic aircraft is nor what classifies it as such. I added a section and will add more later to help clarify for a reader who is unknowledgeable on the subject.

Google
When finding this page from google it says "A sonic boom produced by an aircraft moving at twice the speed of sound." in the text. This seems to be very confusing as sonic booms occur when the aircraft passes the speed of sound. ddd

Megawatt!?
From my limited physics education I find it difficult to believe that a sonic boom can deliver 167 MW (megawatts - 1,000,000 Watts) per square meter. Although I can believe it delivers mW (milliwatts - 1/1,000 Watt) per square meter. Is this just a bad prefix? I think sound pressures are typically given in dBmW (decibell milliwatts.)

Sound file?
It would be nice to have a sound file. Could someone supply one pretty please?

Why does the shock front create a boom?
I know that a supersonic aircraft generates a sonic boom. The graphic adjacent to " Perception, noise, and other concerns" states:

"... When v = c, the sonic boom is visible. When v > c, the Mach cone is visible." What aspect of the sonic boom "is visible"? Geometrically, the line of the shock wave it is the locus of the tangent to the circles representing the range of the sound from the plane at points along its trajectory.

I don't think the article explains the relationship between that line and the creation of the "boom" (or, the N-wave described in reference[1])

Gpsanimator (talk) 07:32, 31 May 2024 (UTC)