Supersonic facts for kids
Supersonic describes anything moving faster than the speed of sound. Imagine a plane flying so fast that it leaves its own sound behind! This speed is also known as Mach 1.
At a normal temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21.1 °C), the speed of sound is around 344 meters per second, which is about 770 miles per hour (1,238 kilometers per hour). If something travels faster than this, it's supersonic.
When an object moves much faster, like more than 5 times the speed of sound, it's called hypersonic. If only some parts of an object, like a plane's propeller, reach supersonic speeds, it's called transonic. This usually happens between Mach 0.8 and Mach 1.2.
Contents
What is the Speed of Sound?
The speed of sound is how fast sound waves travel through a medium, like air or water. It changes depending on the temperature and the type of material. Sound travels faster in warmer air and slower in colder air.
How Do Things Go Supersonic?
It's quite tricky to reach supersonic speeds. As an object gets close to the speed of sound, something called drag increases a lot. Drag is a force that tries to slow things down. This increased drag made it hard for early planes to fly faster than sound.
For many years, this problem was known as the "sound barrier." It was a big challenge for engineers and pilots. However, with the invention of powerful Jet engines and other new technologies in the mid-20th century, we finally learned how to break this barrier.
Early Supersonic Objects
Even before modern planes, some things could move faster than sound. For example, a Whip can create a small crack, which is actually a tiny sonic boom! This happens because the tip of the whip moves faster than sound.
Also, Artillery shells, like those fired from cannons, started reaching supersonic speeds in the 1800s. These early examples showed that breaking the sound barrier was possible.
Why is Supersonic Flight Important?
Supersonic flight has many uses. It's important for military jets that need to travel quickly for defense or missions. It also allows for very fast travel, like the Concorde airplane once did, cutting down travel times significantly.
Images for kids
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British Airways Concorde at London-Heathrow Airport in the early 1980s.
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This image shows how a sound source moves faster than its own sound waves at Mach 1.4.
See also
In Spanish: Velocidad supersónica para niños
