Mach Number Calculation Formula
The Mach number (M) is calculated using the formula:
M = v / c
where:
- M is the Mach number,
- v is the velocity of the object,
- c is the speed of sound in the medium.
Key Points
- Subsonic (M < 1): Object moves slower than the speed of sound.
- Sonic (M = 1): Object’s speed equals the speed of sound.
- Supersonic (M > 1): Object exceeds the speed of sound.
- Hypersonic (M >> 1): Object travels at extremely high speeds.
How to calculate the Mach Number?
Mach number is calculated by finding the ratio of speed of an object to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium. Mach number is unitless (dimensionless quantity). The formula for calculating Mach number is M = v/c , where M is Mach number, v is the velocity of object (in meters per second, feet per second, etc.) and c is speed of light (in meters per second, feet per second, etc.).
Table of Content
- What is Mach number ?
- Mach Number Calculation Formula
- Classification of Mach Numbers
- Sample Questions