Sonic Booms

Question

I’ve never really understood how something travelling faster than teh speed of sound causes a sonic boom.

Secondary, like when man first broker the sound barrier, did the scientists *know* a sonic boom would occur, or was it a surprise and they all were like “WTF was that, did we just break something”?

Thirdly, is a sonic boom guaranteed when something breaks the sound barrier, or do they sometimes not happen?

In: 58

Answer 1

Here’s the ELI5: normally sound is in front and behind something making a sound.

If it goes to fast and out runs its sound, all the sound is behind it now.

The sound builds up behind it. Too much sound skooshed together behind it goes boom.