How does a whip break the speed of sound, and is it possible to recreate this phenomenon with something else?
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BaaBaaBlackSheep
ANSWERS: 2
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This effect is caused by the relationship between rotation and diameter. Consider a figure skater in a verticle spin. As the person spins she can slow her rotational speed by extending her arms. The rotational energy in the spin is conserved but since the moment arm is longer, the speed is reduced. This also works in the other direction. If the skater shortens her arms, her rotation speed increases accordingly. Now consider a whip being tossed out to its full length. The whip unfolds easily as a result of the energy applied by the hand that holds it. The energy applied by the hand travels down the whip such that each portion is affected by the force, one after another. At the tip of the whip, all of the force applied by the hand is finally collected and eliminated. As the force travels down the tip of the whip, and if the tip is in the right shape, (you don't get a snap every time you toss a whip) the tip must change direction rapidly. As the circle tightens with the every shrinking diameter, the speed of the tip increases until it breaks the speed of sound and produces a "Snap."
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When cracked, whips do not break the speed of sound. Rather it is the molecules in the leather moving in the motion they do that makes the cracking noise. Since a whip is not done in a flowing motion, the molecules in the whip "snap" when pulled suddenly in another direction.
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