shock wave
Noun
Meaning
a region of high pressure travelling through a gas at a high velocity
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Examples
the explosion created a shock wave
According to their results, the comet matter dispersed in the atmosphere, while the destruction of the forest was caused by the shock wave.
After delivering all its warheads, the missile could then spend weeks flying over populated areas at low altitudes, causing tremendous ground damage with its shock wave.
An approximate rule of thumb for shock wave standoff distance is 0.14 times the nose radius.
As the shock wave decays, the shocked region decompresses towards more usual pressures and densities.
A second shock wave, the reverse shock, may propagate back into the ejected matter.