How do whips make a cracking sound
In: Physics
[Smarter Everyday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnaASTBn_K4) made an extensive research on this topic. They nearly publish a scientific paper, too.
Destin from SmarterEveryDay explains it beautifly here in a 11 minute video complete with slow motion footage:
It’s a tiny sonic boom, like a little version of the bang your favorite plane makes when it goes really, really, really fast
Another smarter every day video. This one deals with bullets not whips but does a really good job of explaining how shockwaves form.
The tip, when you flip or crack it, breaks the sound barrier. So it’s all in how you crack the whip. There must be enough speed for it to break the sound barrier