Image credit:  Andrew Davidhazy, Rochester Institute of Technology

Wikipedia: Shadowgraph

This is a Schlieren image, which reveals differences in the density of air above the candles. To find out more about these images, visit Wikipedia: Shadowgraph, and to learn how to make one, visit Schlieren Photography Principles.

- Making one of these images is more complicated than making a shadowgraph, such as the image in From Physics Research.
- For more high-speed images by Andrew Davidhazy, visit this page.

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Doppler Physlet

Try this Physlet simulation from Davidson College to investigate the shockwaves and Doppler effect produced by objects moving at various speeds--in particular, at speeds below and above the speed of sound.

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The Doppler Effect and Sonic Booms

This image of the shockwave made by a speeding bullet is a shadowgraph--simply a photograph of the shadow of the bullet and the shockwave. Variations in the density of air refract the light used to make the shadow and produce bright and dark regions.

- Note the little fragment that is moving just below the speed of sound (the disturbance is slightly ahead of it).
- To see animations of shockwaves made by objects moving at various speeds, visit The Doppler Effect and Sonic Booms.

Physics in Action: Sonic Shock

For more on shockwaves, and how engineers have insulated space vehicles from the shockwave's heat, visit Physics in Action: Sonic Shock.