What is a sonic boom

1
What is a sonic boom?

• When an object which puts out sound travels
  faster than the speed of sound, the crests of the
  sound wave add up and reach an observers ears
  all at once.
• Since the waves add up, the AMPLITUDE is much
  larger and the sound is LOUDER. Thus, we call it
  a sonic BOOM!

2
What is scientific notation?

• Scientific notation is a way to deal with REALLY
  BIG and really small quantities.
• The power of ten tells you where to put the
  decimal point!
• 5 x 10-3 0.005
• 5 x 10-2 0.05
• 5 x 10-1 0.5
• 5 x 10-0 5.
• 5 x 101 50.
• 5 x 102 500.
• 5 x 103 5000.
• For example, the distance from the Earth to the
  Sun is
• 150,000,000,000 meters (One hundred and fifty
  billion meters)
• OR
• 1.50 x 1011 meters (One point five times ten to
  the eleventh meters)
• But it is much easier to do calculations with
  scientific notation!

3
Why is resonance important in real life?

• Technology
• We must know resonant frequencies of swaying
  skyscrapers to avoid wind blowing it over!
• Tiny tuning forks provide the timer that runs
  your watch!
• Science
• The frequency of oscillations of the surface of
  the sun or earth help us figure out whats inside!

4
Are there multiple universes?

• One idea for the origin of the universe is a
  vacuum fluctuation which popped out of
  nothingness and expanded to become our universe.
  Why couldnt this happen more than once?
• Support for this idea
• Quantum mechanics (physics of the very small)
  predicts these vacuum fluctuations
• BUT
• We still arent quite sure how gravity works on
  small scales, so we dont totally understand what
  would go on during this fluctuation.
• We could never go to these universes, anyway, so
  its more a question of philosophy than of
  physics!

5
Why shouldnt you stare at the sun?

• Your retina (back of the eye) has cells which are
  sensitive to different frequencies of light, just
  like your cochlea (inner ear) has cells which are
  sensitive to different frequencies of sound!
• If very bright (high amplitude) light is focused
  on the retina, you start to cook these cells
  and they can die! Without these cells, you
  cannot see!