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1800-102-2727We all are aware of the fact that an aeroplane travels significantly faster than other forms of transportation. Have you ever thought about how quickly an aeroplane can fly? But what if planes travel far faster than the speed of sound? The aeroplanes are subjected to a shock wave, which alters the plane's blade. The Mach number is extremely essential in studying these topics. The Mach number allows us to compare the speed of an item to the speed of sound. It may also be used to determine if a flow is incompressible or not.
Mach number is a useful metric for comparing the speed of an item to the speed of sound. It is a parameter that represents the speed of a flying item in air. It has a wide range of applications in dynamics of fluids. The Mach number is extensively studied in order to have a proper understanding of the motion of rockets and aerolplanes. It is a dimensionless number that expresses the ratio of an object's velocity in a medium to the speed of sound.
The sign 'M' is commonly used to denote the Mach number.
Mach Number = speed of object/ speed of sound
M = v/c
Where
When an aeroplane is crossing through the sky, the particles of air closest to the plane's body are disrupted. When an aeroplane travels at a faster speed, it compresses the air surrounding it. By assessing the Mach number, we may determine if the fluid can be compressed or not. Because it is the ratio of two velocities with the same dimensions, the Mach number has no dimensions.
Fluid flow is categorised based on the change of the Mach number.
To achieve the greatest results, aircraft are designed using the Mach number. We also know that sound travels in the form of waves. The travel of these waves through an air medium is affected by several elements, including the temperature and pressure of the air. We know that when a fluid flows over a solid surface, a thin membrane of fluid adheres to the surface and acquires the surface's velocity.
Q1. What exactly is a sonic boom?
A: A shock wave is created when an aeroplane travels faster than the sound of a supersonic flight. Significant temperature and pressure fluctuations occur in this situation. People on the ground hear this shock effect as if it were a clap sound.
Q2. How can the Mach number be used to discuss incompressible fluid?
A: Incompressible fluids are ones whose density remains constant. Even when the pressure is changed, the volume stays constant. In fact, the volume change with pressure change is quite modest. When the temperature remains constant, fluids are termed incompressible. We know from Bernoulli's theorem that pressure changes are proportional to velocity changes. The change in velocity is proportional to the Mach number. When the Mach number is very high, the fluid is deemed compressible; when the Mach number is low, the volume remains constant for changes in pressure, rendering the flow incompressible. In mechanical terms, if the Mach number< 0.3, the flow is incompressible.
Q3. How does the Mach number vary when the medium and height change?
A: Assume an aeroplane is travelling at the speed of sound in a medium of air. As the height varies, the speed of sound changes as well, resulting in a change in the Mach number. As a result, the plane must adjust to the relative change in the speed of sound.