Mach number temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude between sea level and , the speed of sound also decreases. For example, the standard atmosphere model lapses temperature to at altitude, with a corresponding speed of sound (Mach1) of , 86.7% of the sea level value. While the terms "subsonic" and "supersonic", in the purest sense, refer to speeds below and above the local speed of sound respectively, aerodynamicists often use the same terms to talk about particular ranges of Mach values. This occurs because of the presence of a "transonic regime" around M = 1 where approximations of the Navier-Stokes equations used
Mach tuck Mach tuck Mach tuck is an aerodynamic effect whereby the nose of an aircraft tends to pitch downward as the airflow around the wing reaches supersonic speeds; the aircraft will first experience this effect at significantly below Mach 1. This speed is known as the critical Mach number of the wing. Mach tuck is usually caused by two things, a rearward movement of the centre of pressure of the wing and a decrease in wing downwash velocity at the tailplane both of which cause a nose down pitching moment. For a particular aircraft design only one of these may be