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Re: whip crack explanation?



On Wed, 4 Apr 2001, Herbert H Gottlieb wrote:

What creates the loud noise when a whip cracks?

Is it merely a high amplitude compression
of the surrounding air?

Is the cracking sound caused by the end of the whip
moving at a supersonic speed?

I've always wondered about the details of this effect. I recall reading
that shockwaves naturally form themselves into 1mm long wavefronts in 1ATM
air, but that they "fall apart" when the peak pressure becomes far less
than 1ATM. I wonder how far the shockwave travels from your typical
whip-crack before it turns back into non-shock sound?



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