Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!aplcen!boingo.med.jhu.edu!haven.umd.edu!mimsy!gatech.edu
From: ke4zv!gary@gatech.edu (Gary Coffman)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: The Speed of Sound
Message-ID: <35658@mimsy.umd.edu>
Date: 14 Jun 91 20:05:44 GMT
Sender: magnum@mimsy.umd.edu
Organization: Gannett Technologies Group
Lines: 23
Approved: gun-control@cs.umd.edu


In article <35545@mimsy.umd.edu> bercov@bevsun.bev.lbl.gov (John Bercovitz) writes:
#
#Another thought mentioned in this group at times is that a supersonic
#bullet causes shock waves when it enters a semi-liquid medium.  It's
#certainly true that anything traveling faster than the speed of sound
#in a medium has shock waves coming off of it.  But the speed of sound 
#in water is around 5000 fps.   A critter with a projectile traversing
#his carcass is going to experience traumatic shock but not shock waves.
#Perhaps that's the source of the confusion 'mongst the gun rag writers.
#Nitpicking: It is possible to get some very small local shock waves
#at the front of a flat-nosed bullet if it is only slightly subsonic
#in the traversed medium.

I believe you, but I've seen high speed shadowgraphs of bullets that
had what definitely looked like shock waves trailing from the nose.
I've also seen boats moving considerably slower than 5000 fps with
the same sort of "bow wake" as the bullet had. I've dressed enough
game to know that *something* damages a conical section of meat
surrounding the wound channel. So if this isn't a sonic boom style
shock wave, what is it?

Gary