Content tagged with "physics"
Mach Numbers and the Sound Barrier
This is a value commonly used to describe the speed of an aircraft. It’s not a constant value. It represents the speed of sound in whatever air is being used at the time. The speed of sound changes with elevation and air density. Also, “speed of sound” is kind of a misnomer. What’s really being…
Tachyon
This is a purely hypothetical particle. It was first theorized in a 1967 paper, but its existence has never been proven. According to the theory, it always travels faster than light. The word comes from the Greek “tachy” which means “swift.” It’s the same root from which we get “tachycardia,” which…