the sound barrier it's actually a physical barrier that makes it difficult for objects to reach very high speeds (supersonic speeds). It is often mentioned in studies involving aerodynamics.
Today we know that when we are moving through the air, the air molecules are pushed aside, giving us space. This also happens with other types of objects. But there was not always this conception.
For a long time it was believed that the speed of sound was the highest speed a vehicle could reach on Earth. Because the sounds propagate with the same speed, that is, the air molecules propagate at the same speed of sound, many did not believe that such molecules could move away in time for the vehicle to pass they.
An interesting fact was observed in World War II. By flying at speeds very close to the speed of sound, the pilots at the time reported feeling tremors and flight instability. They mistakenly interpreted these effects as due to the sound barrier.
A better conclusion on the subject was proved in 1947, when a prototype aircraft performed a diving flight. In this dive, the speed reached was greater than the speed of sound, thus proving that the speed of sound was not the highest speed with which one could travel.
With this same test, it was also possible to prove that the effects of jitter and flight instability at high speeds are caused by the formation of shock waves in the atmosphere with the passage of the plane.
Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
By Domitiano Marques
Graduated in Physics
Brazil School Team
waves - Physics - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SILVA, Domitiano Correa Marques da. "The Sound Barrier"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/fisica/a-barreira-som.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
