Read the following case and answer the following question:
A supersonic aircraft travels through the atmosphere at a speed greater than the speed of sound. People on the ground may experience a sudden loud sound called a sonic boom.
(a) Is a sonic boom related to the propagation of sound through a medium?
(b) Why does this observation not prove that sound can propagate in the absence of a medium?
(c) In what way is a sonic boom different from the sound produced by a vibrating object?
(d) What common feature do ordinary sound and a sonic boom have?
(a) Is a sonic boom related to the propagation of sound through a medium?
(b) Why does this observation not prove that sound can propagate in the absence of a medium?
(c) In what way is a sonic boom different from the sound produced by a vibrating object?
(d) What common feature do ordinary sound and a sonic boom have?
(a) Yes. A sonic boom is related to the propagation of sound through a , in this case, the .
(b) A sonic boom occurs in the atmosphere, where . It therefore cannot demonstrate that sound can travel through .
(c) Ordinary sound is produced by the , whereas a sonic boom is associated with the produced by an object travelling .
(d) Both involve a through a material medium and can be .