Could you break the sound barrier underwater?

There is no sound barrier in space. In fresh water at 20 C, the speed of sound is ~1482 m/s; tough to beat in a medium that’s about 1000 times as dense as air. Certainly a normal sized object can in principle pass through a body of water faster than the speed of sound in the water.

What would happen if you break the sound barrier underwater?

A sonic boom would occur just like if a land or air vehicle broke the sound barrier, however being on the water, the build-up of air pressure may result in something like the picture below which is a plane flying at supersonic speed just meters above water. , A very rusty first degree in Physics.

Is it possible to create a sonic boom under water?

According to Frank Heile, P.h.D. Physics, Stanford University: “Yes, there will be a sonic boom if an object travels through water at faster than the speed of sound in water.

What is the fastest speed possible underwater?

The United States Navy has contracted with the General Dynamics Electric Boat Division to support development of the Underwater Express, an undersea transport capable of controllable speeds up to 100 knots (185 km/h) through supercavitation.

Can a submarine outrun a torpedo?

They could dive to at least 2,200 feet, far deeper than any NATO submarine of the time, or today. The speed and diving depth of the Alfa allowed it to evade most contemporary NATO torpedoes, although in combat this would also have made it difficult for the Alfa to move into attack position.

Does sound break the sound barrier in water?

While it is common for objects to break the sound barrier in air, as the speed sound travels 340 m/s, it travels much faster in liquids;1,434 m/s in water for example. A phenomena called cavitation occurs in liquids when there is a rapid change in pressure (such as the passing of a high-speed object in a liquid).

What is it like to play music underwater?

In water, the dynamics tend to be far more violent, even well below the speed of sound. In particular, you will readily end up with cavitation bubbles. As already said by Acid Jazz, this allows for a rather remarkable mode of underwater motion, which is completely unlike anything you get in air.

Why is the sound barrier so important to airplanes?

This is the reason the sound barrier is such a crucial limit for aircraft. In incompressible fluids like water, this doesn’t necessarily work out the same way. In water, the dynamics tend to be far more violent, even well below the speed of sound.

Is it possible to perform supersonic motion under water?

However, it would still be relevant if you could manage to keep the pressure pertubations small enough even close to the speed of sound. Actually, this is relevant for any supersonic motion under water, if you look at it on a big enough scale.