Sonic Boom

Year Published: 1984

Creator: Institut für Film und Bild in Wissenschaft und Unterricht

Format: 16mm/video file

Description: CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STUDY GUIDE FOR THIS FILM This animated film describes the movement of sound as a succession of waves of compressed air. It shows how the compressions expand, first when the sound source is not moving and then when it is moving at different rates. When the source is finally seen moving at a supersonic speed, we see that it is followed by a conical percussion wave that creates a loud cracking boom as it passes over a region.  Uses animated graphics to describe a sonic boom and explain how it is produced. Illustrates how sound waves spread out from a stationary source, as well as from sources moving at different velocities up to twice the speed of sound, and then shows the intersection of a jet aircrafts's sonic boom cone with the ground.