sonic barrier

Speed of sound

The sonic barrier is the sharp increase in aerodynamic drag and other effects that aircraft encounter as they approach the speed of sound.

Once thought to be an absolute limit to flight speed, it was "broken" in 1947.

The term now appears mostly in historical contexts or as a metaphor for any seemingly insurmountable obstacle: She broke through the sonic barrier of her industry's glass ceiling.

supersonicsAbove Mach one
shock wavePropagating pressure disturbance
dragResistance through fluid
boomLoud deep sound
Mach numberRatio to sonic velocity

NASA · acoustic energy · Concorde · fighter jet · military aircraft · pilot · overpressure · air pressure · speed of sound · hypersonic flight · Chuck Yeager · test pilot · noise pollution · loud bang · transonic · aviation · pressure wave · ramjet

Opposites

speed regime

sonic barrierstall speed

Slowest flight-sustaining velocity

cruising speed · incompressible flow · thermal barrier · standstill · terminal velocity

permeability/breakthrough

sonic barrierfree passage

Unhindered right to travel

smooth transition · open sky · supersonic flight

permeability/resistance

sonic barrieropen air

Unenclosed outdoor space

free flow · vacuum

Family

sonic, barrier, sonics, sonically, supersonic, subsonic, ultrasonic, infrasonic, sonar

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Rated G