January 5, 2026
Sonic booms, comment kabooms
Shock Wave Formation Simulator
Fans argue over the ‘bang,’ wind mode, and a mislabeled slider
TLDR: A new interactive simulator shows how shock waves form and what causes sonic booms. Commenters are split between awe at the “bang,” confusion over default wind mode, and a spicy fight about mislabeled controls—making it a fun crash course in what really makes jets go boom.
A flashy new Shock Wave Formation simulator lets you play pilot: crank the speed (aka Mach number—how many times faster than sound you’re going), tweak the pulse, and hit presets like Concorde and SR‑71. But the real action isn’t the visuals—it’s the comments. One camp showed up for the money shot: that crisp snap where the wave breaks. “Where’s the discontinuity?” cried rich_sasha, sounding like the physics police. Others are chasing the boom. Spuz swears the “Moving Source” mode is where you finally see what causes that jet-like bang, and the crowd ate it up.
Then the myth-busters arrived. Nomel revealed the default is wind mode, which makes the ripples look like they’re outrunning sound—cue a wave of “ohhh” replies from confused newbies. Sandworm101 went full terminology warrior, insisting “pulse ‘rate’” is mislabeled and should be “interval,” sparking a gloriously petty slider semantics spat. And in the back, speedrunners like butlike are flexing with “13.5 waves/sec,” turning physics class into a high-score board. The vibe: part science fair, part drag strip, all drama. Verdict? It’s a slick tool for demystifying sonic booms—and a perfect arena for debates over what really makes the bang (and what we should call the knob that does it).
Key Points
- •The page features a Shock Wave Formation Simulator.
- •Controls include Mach Number and Pulse Rate settings.
- •Operational controls provide Pause and Reset functionality.
- •A Mode option labeled “Wind” and a sound toggle (“Sound: Off?”) are present.
- •Preset scenarios include Subsonic, Jet Sound Barrier, Supersonic, Concorde, and SR-71.