If a bullet was singing a song, what would the shock wave sound like?

In summary, the duration of a shock wave produced by a bullet passing near someone depends on factors such as the shape and speed of the bullet. The wave front of the shock wave is often described, but there is limited information on what happens behind it. If a bullet was "singing" a song, the sound heard would depend on whether the bullet is ultrasonic or subsonic. Additionally, the Doppler effect would cause the perceived pitch of the "song" to change as the bullet approaches and passes by.
  • #1
absolom
1
0
I'm trying to wrap my head around shock waves produced by bullets and their properties.

In particular I'm interested in what affects the duration of the shock wave in time. Say someone shoots at me, the bullet passes near me, and I hear the shock wave produced by the bullet. If you look at the air pressure over time where I observe the shock wave, what might it look like, and how long in time does it last? Does this depend on the shape of the bullet? its speed? what else?

I've tried to research this question but almost all the information I can find describes the wave front of the shock wave, mainly its shape, but nothing about what happens right behind the wave front.

Another scenario which I can't seem to come up with an answer to. If a bullet was singing a song, starting right when it leaves the gun, what am I going to hear as the bullet flies by me?
 
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  • #2
im not sure about the first question, but for the question about the singing, it depends if the bullet is ultrasonic or subsonic. If it is Subsonic then you would hear the start of the song BEFORE the bullet reaches you, if it is ultrasonic you would hear the start of the song AFTER the bullet passed you.
edit: for your first question you should be able to look up sonic booms and the sound berrior as the bullet would also experience that, and that's what the shockwave is as the bullet passes through the sound berrior it passes through the higher pressure air infront of it.
 
  • #3
Shockwaves:

at the source of an explosive event, air is pushed away, but now there's a vacuum, so the air rushes back into fill it. From each of these events, the wave propagates out (so you get the peak, followed by the rarefaction, a classic "N" wave signal).

You can look up the "Friedlander Waveform" for more information on equation as a function of time.

Doppler Shift:

for a bullet traveling towards you, each peak of the wave would appear to pass you faster (compared to the reference frame of the bullet) making it seem like the bullet was singing in a higher voice.

As the bullet heads away from you, the peak of each wave passes you slower, making it appear as if the bullet has a lower voice.
 
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1. What is a shock wave?

A shock wave is a type of disturbance that travels through a medium, such as air, at a speed faster than the speed of sound. It is caused by a sudden and intense release of energy, such as an explosion or a supersonic object.

2. How does the speed of the bullet affect the sound of the shock wave?

The speed of the bullet would affect the sound of the shock wave in two ways. Firstly, the faster the bullet is traveling, the stronger and louder the shock wave will be. Secondly, the speed of sound increases with the temperature of the medium, so the sound of the shock wave would be higher pitched for a faster bullet.

3. Would the shape or size of the bullet affect the sound of the shock wave?

Yes, the shape and size of the bullet would have an impact on the sound of the shock wave. A larger or more aerodynamic bullet would produce a stronger and more defined shock wave, resulting in a louder and more intense sound.

4. How would the surrounding environment impact the sound of the shock wave?

The surrounding environment, such as the temperature, humidity, and presence of obstacles, can affect the sound of the shock wave. For example, a humid environment would dampen the sound of the shock wave, while obstacles would cause it to reflect and potentially produce echoes.

5. Is there any way to accurately predict the sound of the shock wave from a singing bullet?

While there are mathematical models and simulations that can estimate the sound of a shock wave, it is difficult to accurately predict the exact sound produced by a singing bullet. This is due to a variety of factors such as the irregular shape and movement of the bullet, as well as the unpredictable nature of the surrounding environment.

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