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Posted

It is said that the crack of a whip is due to sonic boom when the last inches whip into straightness at speeds in excess of sound. Could finger snapping be alike? Can anyone devise for example some freeware Basic program to show a big displayed timer counting in miliseconds on a computer screen and then film a person snapping their finger in front of the screen. People nay-say me about this always, but I would like to see an actual trial, if it is to be rightly disclaimed.

Posted
It is said that the crack of a whip is due to sonic boom when the last inches whip into straightness at speeds in excess of sound. Could finger snapping be alike? Can anyone devise for example some freeware Basic program to show a big displayed timer counting in miliseconds on a computer screen and then film a person snapping their finger in front of the screen. People nay-say me about this always, but I would like to see an actual trial, if it is to be rightly disclaimed.

 

This may be true in the case of a whip but, I personally think that the noise heard when snaping ones fingures is only the sound caused by a release of frictional forces between the finger and thumb.

Posted

Look up the differences among deflagration, explosion, and shock. Clapped hands or snapped fingers are explosions. A whip crack is a shock. A well-made whip tapers toward its working end. The momentum must be directed, accumulated, then pulse-discharged.

Posted
It is said that the crack of a whip is due to sonic boom when the last inches whip into straightness at speeds in excess of sound. Could finger snapping be alike? Can anyone devise for example some freeware Basic program to show a big displayed timer counting in miliseconds on a computer screen and then film a person snapping their finger in front of the screen. People nay-say me about this always, but I would like to see an actual trial, if it is to be rightly disclaimed.

The noise of a finger snap is caused when the snapped finger hits the base of the thumb. Try covering the area with a small piece of cloth and then listen to how the sound is damped. It is not from your finger exceeding the speed of sound.

  • 2 years later...

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