Sound barrier

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/sound-barrier

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 consequence of supersonic flight?Generation of a sonic boom, caused by the passage of shock waves
2. Why do planes make a boom when they break the sound barrier?The boom, called a sonic boom, happens when the shock waves from the plane hit the ground. The sudden change in pressure makes a loud noise.
3. How did people finally break the sound barrier?In 1947, pilot Chuck Yeager flew the Bell X-1 rocket plane faster than the speed of sound. His flight proved that planes could fly safely at supersonic speeds.

Mach Number: A dimensionless quantity representing the ratio of an object's speed to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium.
Aerodynamic Drag: The resistive force exerted by the air on an object moving through it, significantly increasing near Mach 1.
Shock Wave: A discontinuity in pressure, temperature, and density that propagates through a medium at supersonic speeds.