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by Fieldandstream30s on January 19th, 2008

Fieldandstream30s

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What determines how loud a sonic boom is and why doesn't it boom constantly if an object is continually going faster than the speed of sound?

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  • by xprofessor on January 19th, 2008

    xprofessor

    A supersonic airplane DOES produce a continuous sonic boom, but it travels along the ground at the same speed as the aircraft. So if you're at a fixed location on the ground you hear it only once.

    The loudness depends on the plane's altitude and also on the aerodynamic design -- they're working on controlling the shape of the shock wave by redesigning the aircraft's shape to soften the sharp leading edge of the shock wave that causes the "boom" heard on the ground.

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