What do you understand by the terms supersonic speed, shock waves and sonic boom?
Supersonic sound is when a body moves in air with a speed greater than the speed of sound.
Example: Bullets, jet aircrafts etc. travel at supersonic speed.
When a source of sound travels in air at a supersonic speed, it leaves behind itself a conical region of disturbance which spreads continuously. A region consisting of a very high pressure layer followed by a lower pressure layer travels through the space together with the cone. This is called a shock wave. Shock wave carries a large amount of energy.
Shock waves have large variation in the air pressure. So, when a shock wave reaches a person, it produce a sharp and loud sound in his ears because of the differences in air pressure. This is called sonic boom.
The sonic booms from a high speed jet aircraft can break glass dishes, windowpanes and can even cause serious damage to a building.
