I was watching an XKCD “What-If” video recently and Randal off-handedly mentions the title fact as a given. Upon a further Google search I see explanations about why sound moves faster in liquids than gasses but nothing for my specific question. Is there an intuitive explanation for that fact or is it just one of those weird observable facts with no clear explanation

  • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone
    2·
    4 days ago

    Does this mean that a drop of water can’t move through air faster than the speed of sound in air?

    Or that a drop of water can’t move faster than the speed of sound in water anywhere?

    • Fleur_@aussie.zone
      3·
      4 days ago

      He’s asking why water can’t flow through a pipe at the speed of sound in water. Water can move as fast as you want. If we’re talking about a fluid flowing (not just moving) then it won’t be able to flow faster than the speed of sound in the fluid.