Sonic boom Sonic boom A sonic boom is the sound associated with the shock waves created whenever an object travelling through the air travels faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to the human ear. The crack of a supersonic bullet passing overhead or the crack of a bullwhip are examples of a sonic boom in miniature. Sonic booms due to large supersonic aircraft can be particularly loud and startling, tend to awaken people, and may cause minor damage to some structures. They led to prohibition of
Periodic travelling wave Periodic travelling wave In mathematics a periodic travelling wave (or wavetrain) is a periodic function of one-dimensional space that moves with constant speed. Consequently it is a special type of spatiotemporal oscillation that is a periodic function of both space and time. Periodic travelling waves play a fundamental role in many mathematical equations, including self-oscillatory systems, excitable systems and reaction-diffusion-advection systems. Equations of these types are widely used as mathematical models of biology, chemistry and physics, and many examples in phenomena resembling periodic travelling waves have been found empirically. The mathematical theory of periodic travelling waves is most fully developed