Shock wave facts for kids

Sometimes the shock wave from a supersonic airplane is visible

Pressure chart

A shock wave is a very strong burst of energy that moves through a material. Imagine dropping a huge, heavy rock into water; the ripples would be like a shock wave, but much, much stronger and faster. This energy makes the material around it move very quickly and forcefully. It's a special kind of vibration that can be incredibly powerful.

Shock waves can be strong enough to knock things over or even cause damage. For example, bombs create shock waves that can be very destructive. The wave vibrates the material around it with extreme force and speed. This can make other things vibrate too, or even break apart. Shock waves are often the most dangerous part of an explosion. However, a shock wave travels much faster than other parts of an explosion's energy. It also fades away quickly. It's called a "wave" because its force goes up and down, similar to an ocean wave.

How Shock Waves Travel

A shock wave can move through any material. An earthquake is a type of shock wave traveling through the ground. You can also feel shock waves in water. The material a shock wave travels through affects it. A thick material, like water, might help the shock wave travel further. A thin material, like air, would not carry it as far. This is similar to how sound waves are affected by what they move through.

Shock Waves vs. Sound Waves

A sound wave looks similar to a shock wave, but they are not the same. Think of a sound wave like gentle ripples when you drop a small pebble into water. A shock wave is much faster and not as smooth. If you drew a perfect sound wave, it would be a smooth line going up and down evenly. A shock wave would look like many big bumps on a road. The line goes up very quickly, but it does not go down as much. Some words used for both sound waves and shock waves are the same, like amplitude (how strong the wave is) or frequency (how often the waves happen). But this does not mean they are the same thing.

Images for kids

• 

  Schlieren photograph of a shock wave on a fast-moving object.

• 

  USS Iowa firing its guns during training. The circular marks show the shock waves hitting the water.

• 

  A shock wave moving away from an explosion. You can see it because of the shadow effect.

• 

  Schlieren photograph of a shock wave around a bullet flying faster than sound. This picture was taken in 1887.

• 

  Damage caused by the shock wave from the Chelyabinsk meteor.

• 

  NASA took this Schlieren photograph in 2019. It shows shock waves from two airplanes interacting.

See also

In Spanish: Onda de choque para niños