A structure that stands in a medium (like the solar wind) ahead of an obstacle, when the obstacle speed is faster than the speed of waves in the medium The "bow shock" stands in front of the magnetosphere, and interplanetary shocks precede fast coronal mass ejections as they travel from the Sun At a shock, density and temperature increase, while velocity decreases to allow the medium to flow around the obstacle
A surface or sheet of discontinuity (i e , of abrupt changes in conditions) set up in a supersonic field or flow, through which the fluid undergoes a finite decrease in velocity accompanied by a marked increase in pressure, density, temperature, and entropy, as occurs, e g , in a supersonic flow about a body Sometimes called a shock See attached shock wave, bow wave, condensation shock wave, detached shock wave, Mach wave, normal shock wave, oblique shock wave
A shock wave is the effect of something surprising, such as a piece of unpleasant news, that causes strong reactions when it spreads through a place. The crime sent shock waves throughout the country
A shock wave is an area of very high pressure moving through the air, earth, or water. It is caused by an explosion or an earthquake, or by an object travelling faster than sound. The shock waves yesterday were felt from Las Vegas to San Diego
Mathematically, a wave front in a non-linear PDE with a discontinuous change in pressure or some other parameter Physically, a similar wave with a very abrupt change in pressure Typically a shock wave can exist because the speed of communication behind it is greater than the speed of communication in front of it