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Chapter 17: Problem 28

When you hear a sonic boom, you often cannot see the plane that made it. Why is that?

Short Answer

Expert verified
When you hear a sonic boom, you often cannot see the plane that made it due to several factors. Firstly, the plane is moving at incredibly high speeds, which are too fast for our eyes to track. Secondly, supersonic planes typically fly at high altitudes, making them difficult to see from the ground. Lastly, due to the significant difference in the speed of light and sound, there is a time delay before the sound reaches our ears, making it impossible to correlate the sight of the plane with the sound of the sonic boom.

Step by step solution

01

Understand sonic booms and the speed of sound

A sonic boom is a loud, thunder-like sound produced when an object, such as an aircraft, travels faster than the speed of sound. The speed of sound, or Mach 1, is around 1,235 km/h (767 mph) at sea level, and it varies depending on factors like air temperature and altitude. When an aircraft exceeds this speed, it generates pressure waves in the air which converge and create shock waves, resulting in a sonic boom.
02

Acknowledge the difference in the speed of light and sound

The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. Light travels at approximately 299,792 km/s (186,282 miles/s) in a vacuum, while sound travels at only about 1,235 km/h (767 mph) at sea level. Due to this significant difference in speed, we see events (like lightning) before we hear them (thunder). This principle applies to sonic booms as well.
03

Recognize human perception limitations

Our sense of sight and hearing have limitations when it comes to detecting fast-moving objects. For example, our eyes cannot track an object moving faster than approximately 10,000 degrees per second, and the human hearing range is limited to 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. Due to these limitations, it is difficult for us to see and hear fast-moving objects, such as planes traveling faster than the speed of sound.
04

Explain the reason we cannot see the plane that made the sonic boom

When a plane travels at supersonic speeds, creating a sonic boom, several factors contribute to our inability to see the plane: 1. Speed: The plane is moving incredibly fast, and our eyes are not capable of tracking an object moving at such high speeds. The plane might have already traveled away from our field of view by the time we hear the sonic boom. 2. Altitude: Supersonic planes usually fly at high altitudes, making them difficult to see from the ground with the naked eye. The altitude also affects the path of the sonic boom, which may not be directly below the aircraft. 3. Time delay: Due to the difference in the speed of light and sound, we see events before we hear them. Therefore, even if we could see the plane, the time it takes for the sound to reach our ears would make it impossible for us to correlate the two events in real-time. These factors combined explain why we often cannot see the plane that made the sonic boom.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Speed of Sound
The speed of sound is a critical factor in understanding phenomena like sonic booms. At sea level, sound travels at roughly 1,235 kilometers per hour (767 miles per hour). However, this speed can vary with changes in air temperature and altitude. The warmer the air, the faster sound travels. This is because sound is a wave that moves through the medium of air, and its speed relies on the density and elasticity of that medium.
  • Sound speed increases by about 0.6 meters per second for every 1 掳C increase in air temperature.
  • At higher altitudes, where the air is thinner and colder, sound travels more slowly.
This knowledge helps us understand why an aircraft must reach a specific speed, known as Mach 1, to create a sonic boom. At this speed, the aircraft moves faster than sound itself, compressing air and forming shock waves.
Supersonic Speed
Supersonic speed refers to travel that exceeds the speed of sound, which is Mach 1. Achieving supersonic speed means an object, like an aircraft, travels rapidly enough to produce a sonic boom. This phenomenon occurs due to the compression of air around the vehicle, generating shock waves.
Think of it like a ship moving through water. Just as a ship creates waves in the water, an aircraft at supersonic speed creates waves in the air, but much more intense. A crucial element of experiencing supersonic speeds is the aircraft's design, as it must withstand the immense pressures that come with shock waves. These shock waves are what result in the loud noise we perceive as a sonic boom.
  • Athletes and faster rides in amusement parks can reach speeds close to sound, but not exceed it like supersonic aircraft.
  • Most commercial planes fly at subsonic speeds, meaning they stay below the speed of sound to avoid creating sonic booms.
Human Perception Limits
Our perception has natural limits which affect how we experience fast-moving events like a sonic boom. Humans have specific thresholds for tracking movement with their eyes and understanding sounds with their ears. Generally, our vision can track movement at speeds below around 10,000 degrees per second. Beyond this point, keeping up visually with fast objects becomes unmanageable.
Likewise, human hearing ranges between 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. These are valuable sensory ranges, but they cannot entirely account for the rapid travel and events occurring at supersonic speeds. Therefore, when an aircraft flies faster than sound, creating a sonic boom, we struggle to perceive the associated objects and sounds in real-time.
  • While we can see a lightning strike, we experience the sound of thunder later because sound travels slower than light.
  • Our eyes and ears together create a total sensory experience, but they have natural and physical limits.
These limitations contribute to why you might hear a sonic boom without immediately seeing the aircraft responsible.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Ten cars in a circle at a boom box competition produce a 120 -dB sound intensity level at the center of the circle. What is the average sound intensity level produced there by each stereo, assuming interference effects can be neglected?

Two eagles fly directly toward one another, the first at \(15.0 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) and the second at \(20.0 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\). Both screech, the first one emitting a frequency of \(3200 \mathrm{Hz}\) and the second one emitting a frequency of \(3800 \mathrm{Hz}\). What frequencies do they receive if the speed of sound is \(330 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) ?

Consider a diagnostic ultrasound of frequency 5.00 MHz that is used to examine an irregularity in soft tissue. (a) What is the wavelength in air of such a sound wave if the speed of sound is \(343 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) ? (b) If the speed of sound in tissue is \(1800 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s},\) what is the wavelength of this wave in tissue?

The density of a sample of water is \(\rho=998.00 \mathrm{kg} / \mathrm{m}^{3} \quad\) and \(\quad\) the bulk modulus \(\quad\) is \(\beta=2.15 \mathrm{GPa} .\) What is the speed of sound through the sample?

What frequency is received by a mouse just before being dispatched by a hawk flying at it at \(25.0 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) and emitting a screech of frequency 3500 Hz? Take the speed of sound to be \(331 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\).
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