Supersonic speed

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/supersonic-speed

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 hypersonic speed threshold?Speeds greater than Mach 5
2. What does it mean when something moves at supersonic speed?It means the object is going faster than the speed of sound in the air or another medium. When it does, it creates special shock waves instead of normal sound waves.
3. Why does the speed of sound change with temperature?The speed of sound depends on how hot the air is and what it is made of. Hotter air lets sound travel faster, while colder air slows it down.

Supersonic Speed: The speed of an object that is greater than the speed of sound in its surrounding medium.
Mach Number: A dimensionless quantity representing the ratio of an object's speed to the speed of sound, used to classify flight regimes.
Shock Wave: A wave of compression produced by an object moving through a fluid at supersonic speeds, causing a sudden change in pressure and density.
Sonic Boom: The audible shock wave generated by an object traveling faster than the speed of sound, perceived as a loud noise.