Glossary · term

Shock wave

Mechanics

Aliases
shockwave
Domain
Mechanics

Definition

A pressure front travelling faster than the medium's own speed of sound, across which pressure, density and temperature jump almost discontinuously. Supersonic flight, explosions and supernova remnants all drive one.

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From the Glossary database in Notion, last edited 2026-08-17. This page is the row, rendered by the build; nothing on it is written by hand.