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Waves from a Moving Source


	Below the wave speed, waves emitted from a moving source pile up in front and spread out behind, leading to a Doppler shift. Above the wave speed, waves accumulate at the sides, forming a shock wave.


	Contributed by: Stephen Wolfram

For sound, v/c is the Mach number. For light, it is the fraction of the local speed of light. Objects travelling faster than the local speed of light (e.g. in water) emit Cerenkov radiation. The angle of the shock wave sharpens as the speed of the source increases.

Doppler Effect (ScienceWorld)

Cherenkov Radiation (ScienceWorld)

"Waves from a Moving Source" from The Wolfram Demonstrations Project
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/WavesFromAMovingSource/

Contributed by: Stephen Wolfram

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