2007-01-19 07:38:05 · 2 answers · asked by Shauna 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Words & Wordplay
The Sound Barrier was once believed to be a physical barrier preventing large objects from traveling faster than sound. The first man-made objects to routinely go faster than speed of sound were bullets from firearms and rounds from cannons.
The term came into use during World War II when a number of aircraft started to encounter the effects of compressibility, a grab-bag of unrelated aerodynamic effects, and fell out of use in the 1950s when aircraft started to routinely "break" the sound barrier.
The first aircraft to exceed the sound barrier- faster than Mach 1- is an often disputed issue, but it is usually awarded to the Bell X-1 in 1947 in popular culture. The first aircraft to go faster than Mach 2, is less contentious, the first being the Douglas Skyrocket (D-558) in 1953.
2007-01-19 07:44:53 · answer #1 · answered by ravin_lunatic 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's Mach. Mach 1 is the speed of sound. When a plane nears the speed of sound, the characteristics of the air flow around the edges changes its character significantly. Note that the F22 Raptor is the first plane with "supercruise" ability to go past Mach 1 without the use of afterburner.
2007-01-19 07:48:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋