what´s a shock wave?

Question

everyone is seen it in movies, after explosions, bullets, airplanes, or anything that moves at great speed, how does it work? What´s a shock wave???

Answer 1

It helps to describe it theoretically. If pressure is applied to a medium too abruptly, the resultant pressure wave cannot be represented by continuous wave function. If you solve the pressure wave equation, you get a discontinuity in the pressure distribution. That's the shock front. There is no actual discontinuity, just in the fluid approximation. But it is pretty abrupt and disruptive.

Answer 2

A shock wave is created when something moves thru a medium faster than the speed of sound thru that medium. Portions of the medium are also accelerated to supersonic velocities in the process. High velocity means low pressure.

When the medium collapses back to subsonic velocity, the sudden pressure surge from the deceleration/compression radiates outwards as a shock wave or sonic boom. The pressure jump is a quick spike, and in thermodynamic terms is irreversible.

Answer 3

Did you want a definition of marvel wave (what maximum everybody is supplying you with) or really what you requested -- the reason of marvel waves? The reason is from at the same time as the speed of a medium (in many cases gas -- which contain the ambience) adjustments by technique of more advantageous than the speed of sound. contained in the area the position this happens, sound waves that are travelling adverse to the bypass get to the position they could't go back and forth any further upstream, so stress builds up in that area till a intense stress wave varieties -- this wave is the marvel wave.

Answer 4

Just a wave of air pressure - it wouldnt look like it does in the Matrix, they have filmed bullets at high speed and I'm afraid you don't see those pretty waves. Shockwaves move at the speed of sound since that's pretty much all they are.

An interesting demonstration of sound waves and the speed of light is if you've ever seen a naval ship fire its guns. You see the light and a second later you feel and hear the sound of the blast.

Speed of light 186,000 miles per second.

Speed of sound about 800 miles per hour.

Answer 5

A wave, like a caffeine induced life zapping crash that reverberates throughtout the area of the impact like a pebble rippling the surface of the pond.

Answer 6

since gass is a lot less dense then a solid or a liquid, it takes a lot more room to fit the same amount of matter in a gass than in a solid.

when something explodes. solids or liquids are transformed into gass. meaning that something that took little space suddenly takes a lot of space, this pushes everything around it away, in a shockwave

Answer 7

The explosion affects everything arround it and causes it to shift rapidly. The explosive force directed at the ground for example is reflected and dispersed outward.

Answer 8

Also it's a pretty awesome rollercoaster ride at the Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, IL. :)