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shock wave
(redirected from Shock Waves)

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
shock wave
n.
1. A large-amplitude compression wave, as that produced by an explosion or by supersonic motion of a body in a medium.
2. A violent disruption, disturbance, or reaction: Shock waves of revolution shattered the government.

shock wave
n
1. (Physics / General Physics) a region across which there is a rapid pressure, temperature, and density rise, usually caused by a body moving supersonically in a gas or by a detonation Often shortened to shock See also sonic boom, shock tube
2. a feeling of shock, horror, surprise, etc. that affects many people as it spreads through a community
3. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) the effect created on a queue of moving cars in the lane of a motorway when one car brakes suddenly and the cars behind have to brake as well, causing cars to slow down, sometimes for miles behind the first braking car

shock wave
A large-amplitude wave formed by the sudden compression of the medium through which the wave moves. Shock waves can be caused by explosions or by objects moving through a fluid at a speed greater than the speed of sound.

The continuously propagated pressure pulse formed by the blast from an explosion in air, under water or under ground. See also blast wave.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.shock wave - a region of high pressure travelling through a gas at a high velocity; "the explosion created a shock wave"
undulation, wave - (physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
sonic boom - an explosive sound caused by the shock wave of an airplane traveling faster than the speed of sound; "a sonic boom follows an aircraft as a wake follows a ship"
Translations
shock wave n (of explosion, earthquake) → onda d'urto (fig) shock waves nplimpatto msg


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When an aircraft finally goes supersonic, or exceeds the speed of sound, shock waves form at the plane's taft and nose.
According to a report in New Scientist, quieter supersonic aircraft might soon become a reality, with NASA completing a delicate set of flight tests to measure how modifications to an F-15 jet can affect the way shock waves form.
Carefully directed shock waves are passed harmlessly through the body and hit the stone, causing it to crumble into sand-like particles which are then flushed out in the urine.
 
 
 
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