Shock wave

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/shock-wave

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the related topics?Prandtl–Meyer expansion fan, nonlinear wave propagation, entropy increase, irreversible processes
2. Why do shock waves happen when an airplane goes faster than sound?When an airplane moves faster than the speed of sound, it outruns the pressure waves it creates, so they pile up and form a shock wave, which can make a sonic boom.
3. How does a shock wave change the air around it?The shock wave suddenly raises the pressure, temperature, and density of the air, and it also increases the air’s disorder, called entropy, making the energy harder to use.

Mach Number: The ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium.
Nonlinear Wave: A wave whose amplitude affects its speed or shape, leading to complex interactions.
Thermodynamic Properties: Quantities like pressure, temperature, and density that describe the state of a substance.