speed of sound
Barrier jets break
The speed of sound is the rate at which sound waves travel through a medium, most commonly air.
At sea level and room temperature, sound moves through air at roughly 343 meters per second (about 767 miles per hour), though this varies with temperature, humidity, and the density of the medium—sound travels faster through water and faster still through solids.
The phrase often appears in contexts involving aviation, where breaking the sound barrier means exceeding this speed, producing a sonic boom.
Exceeding audio velocity
- transonicNear sound-speed velocity
- subsonicBelow sound's speed
- hypersonicFaster than Mach five
- shockwavePropagating pressure disturbance
afterburner · jet · turbojet · ramjet · scramjet · aerodynamics · thrust · aircraft
Rate of recurrence
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- amplitudeMaximum oscillation displacement
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
echo · reverberation · pitch · timbre · tone · harmonics · attenuation · ultrasound
Directed rate of motion
- propagationAct of spreading widely
- mediumMiddle size or state
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
- longitudinalAlong the longer dimension
Mach · temperature · pressure · density · air · elasticity · molecules · doppler
supersonic
Exceeding audio velocity
- transonicNear sound-speed velocity
- subsonicBelow sound's speed
- hypersonicFaster than Mach five
shockwave · afterburner · jet · turbojet · ramjet · scramjet · aerodynamics · thrust · aircraft · fighter
frequency
Rate of recurrence
- wavelengthSpatial repetition interval
- amplitudeMaximum oscillation displacement
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
resonance · echo · reverberation · pitch · timbre · tone · harmonics · attenuation · ultrasound · infrasound
velocity
Directed rate of motion
- propagationAct of spreading widely
- mediumMiddle size or state
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
longitudinal · Mach · temperature · pressure · density · air · elasticity · molecules · doppler · thermodynamics
- Supersonicssonic boom, Mach number, shock wave, Mach 1, Mach 2
- soundechoes, acoustics, vibrations, audio, volume
- speed unitsmph, kph, knots, kilometers per hour, miles per hour
- speedsterscheetah, peregrine falcon, falcon, gazelle, greyhound
- acousticssoundwave, vibration, wavelength, resonance, amplitude
- aircraft speedssupersonic, subsonic, hypersonic, transonic
speed of soundspeed of light
Maximum possible velocity
light speed · lightspeed · escape velocity · walking pace · snail's pace
speed of soundimmobility
Lack of motion
rest · standstill · stasis · stillness · motionlessness
sound, speed, speeding, speeds, speedily, high-speed, speedboat, speediness, speeded