Sonic boom is produced when a source of sound travels at a speed:

Question

Question

This question was previously asked in

CDS General Knowledge 3 Sep 2023 Official Paper

Answer 1

The correct answer is greater than the speed of sound.

Key Points

When a source of sound travels faster than the speed of sound, a shock wave is generated which gives rise to a sonic boom.
- These shock waves carry with them a huge amount of energy and pressure difference and those waves create a very loud and strong sound which is called sonic boom.
- It generates huge amounts of sound energy. It almost feels like the sound of thunder.
- The shock wave creates a cone of pressurized air molecules. As the cone spreads across the landscape along the flight path, it produces a continuous sonic boom along the entire width of the cone's base.
- The rapid release of pressure following the build-up by the shock wave is heard as a sonic boom.
- It is the sudden change in pressure (rate of change) that makes the sonic boom audible.