Shock Waves: The Physics Behind Sonic Booms

A shock wave forms when something moves faster than the waves it creates, piling them up into a sudden front.
When jets exceed the speed of sound, the compressed air bursts outward as a sonic boom.
Unlike normal sound waves, shock waves travel as a sharp, steep pressure jump.
A sonic boom isn’t a one-time “pop” — it’s a continuous wave trailing the supersonic object.
The cone-shaped boundary of compressed air is called a Mach cone.
The angle of this cone depends on the object’s speed — faster speeds create a narrower cone.
Shock waves also occur in explosions, creating destructive blast fronts.
Bullets traveling faster than sound generate tiny shock waves along their path.
Engineers design aircraft with sleek shapes to reduce the intensity of shock waves.
From thunderclaps to rocket launches, shock waves are nature’s way of releasing pent-up energy in an instant.