sonic boom

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sonic boom

sonic boom shock wave produced by an object moving through the air at supersonic speed, i.e., faster than the speed of sound. Since sound is a mechanical disturbance that propagates through the air, there is a limit to its speed. An object such as an airplane, moving through the air, generates sound. When the speed of the object reaches or exceeds the speed of sound, the object catches up with its own noise; at higher speeds, it forces the sound ahead of itself faster than the noise would ordinarily travel. The piled-up sound takes the form of a violent shock wave called a sonic boom propagating behind the object. Sonic booms occasionally have mechanically destructive effects in addition to their role as noise pollutants.

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sonic boom

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military | 2001 | Â© The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

sonic boom a loud explosive noise caused by the shock wave from an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound.

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The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

son·ic boom • n. a loud explosive noise caused by the shock wave from an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound.

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	REACTIONS TO LONG-TERM SONIC-BOOM NOISE. Magazine article from: Industrial Environment; 1/1/1999
	Sonic booms shake Spanish city News Wire article from: AP Worldstream; 9/26/2008
	Booms shake Spanish city, apparently sonic booms News Wire article from: AP Worldstream; 9/26/2008

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