Sonic booms

[alexb123]

Does anyone know is it possible to witness (as a civilian) a sonic boom, esp in the UK?

Or is it prohibited to take a plane over the sound barrier when people are around. If so why is this world so unfair?

 

[James R]

You could try cracking a whip.

 

[Kittamaru]

Does anyone know is it possible to witness (as a civilian) a sonic boom, esp in the UK?

As James said - crack a whip - the noise you hear is actually the end exceeding the sound barrier. If you dip the end in say, kerosene, it will actually ignite.

Or is it prohibited to take a plane over the sound barrier when people are around. If so why is this world so unfair?

A sonic boom from a super-sonic aircraft at low altitude is incredibly damaging, both to people (ear drums can rupture from the pressure front) and buildings (windows break, stuff rattles and shakes off counters, etc)

However:

At the 2-3 second mark the aircraft breaks the sound barrier - you see the mach cone form and dissipate around it.

Here you can see (at the 1:58 mark) the mach cone form, but the aircraft doesn't break the sound barrier and so it dissipates once it pulls up

 

[John Connellan]

Does anyone know is it possible to witness (as a civilian) a sonic boom, esp in the UK?

Electrical storms might also produce some sonic booms for you

 

[Facial]

I wonder what the maximum air speed is in clapping hands. The sound suggests that it is below sonic speed, but it comes close - my guess is Mach 0.90 - 1.05. Some links to this:

http://www.acoustics.asn.au/journal/2013/2013_41_2_Fletcher_paper.pdf

https://books.google.com/books?id=P...Aiz#v=onepage&q=hand clap shock waves&f=false