where does a sonic BOOM!come from?

Answer 1

Air pressure on the edges of the plane exposed to the oncoming air builds up as the plane goes faster and faster (also creates air drag). But a pressure wave is also how sound is transmitted through air. So the sonic boom is just a larger pressure wave from the airplane going so fast, and your ears interpret this pressure wave as a big boom.

Check out this photo (see link). It's taken just as a plane passes through the sound barrier! It also turns out that the pressure change can cause water to condense (like a cloud or fog), so under just the right conditions, a small cloud forms - as captured in this photo.

Answer 2

The Sonic Boom is the shockwave that travels with an airplane going faster than the speed of sound. There is no "breaking" the sound barrier. It is continuous, however you only hear it when it flys past you.

Answer 3

Hi there,
To visualize the phenomenon imagine an aircraft flying at the speed of sound. Then imagine the sound energy of the engines and the air whistling over the body of the aircraft. This sound is propagating at the same speed as the aircraft is moving so the energy starts to build up along the wake line of the aircraft, much as the waves of water do from a boat traveling through the water. As the aircraft flys along this acoustic energy forms a cone which as it touchs the observer is heard.

Answer 4

When an object is going fast enough to break the sound barrier.

Answer 5

Any solid object flying through the air at speeds faster than sound.
Such as aircraft....

Answer 6

When a jetspeen breaks the sound barrier.

Answer 7

passing jet mach 1

Answer 8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_boom