Can a Silent Object Create a Sonic Boom?

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An object that accelerates silently can still create a sonic boom when it breaks the sound barrier. The sonic boom is caused by shock waves generated from the object's movement through air, not by the sound produced by its propulsion system. This phenomenon occurs regardless of whether the object itself makes noise. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding the physics behind sonic booms, which are related to pressure waves rather than sound generation. The inquiry led to a deeper exploration of the topic within the Physics Forums community.
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Call me crazy, but my fiance has been watching a lot of UFO stuff lately. I am extremely skeptical, but it put a question into my head, that I can not seem to find an answer to in my random searches on google.

Can an object that makes no sound while accelerating create a sonic boom when breaking the sound barrier?

Whenever I read about the sound barrier I find lots of answers on physics theory, calculations, examples, pictures, etc. All things that I have found refer to aircraft breaking the speed of sound. Well we all know how loud planes are, and I can understand the loud sound when a sound is generated by the aircraft itself.

But what about, theoretically, a propulsion system that is completely silent? Any help?
 
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Welcome to Physics Forums.

You should note that the creation of a sonic boom has nothing what-so-ever to do with propulsion system of an object. A sonic boom is a result of was is termed a shock. This shock is formed from the pressure waves created by the object simply moving through the air.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_boom#Causes for more information.
 
Thanks. I guess I just didnt read far enough down on the wiki page. :) Either way I found the Physics Forum in the process!
 
Ginseng said:
Either way I found the Physics Forum in the process!
Welcome aboard! It's good to have you here :smile:
 

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