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View synonyms for mach number
mach number
or Mach number
noun
- a number indicating the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound in the medium through which the object is moving. : M
Mach number
noun
- often not capital the ratio of the speed of a body in a particular medium to the speed of sound in that medium. Mach number 1 corresponds to the speed of sound Often shortened toMach
Mach number
- The ratio of the speed of a body to the speed of sound in a particular medium, usually the Earth's atmosphere. For example, an aircraft flying through air at twice the speed of sound has a Mach number of 2. The Mach number of an aircraft travelling at a given velocity depends on the altitude of the aircraft and other atmospheric conditions that affect the speed of sound near the aircraft.
- See also subsonic
Mach number
- The speed of an object, measured in multiples of the speed of sound. Thus, an airplane traveling at the speed of sound is said to be at Mach 1; at twice the speed of sound, it is said to be at Mach 2.
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Notes
The unit is named after Ernst Mach, an Austrian physicist of the nineteenth century.
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Word History and Origins
Origin of mach number1
First recorded in 1935–40; after Ernst Mach
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Word History and Origins
Origin of mach number1
C19: named after Ernst Mach
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