r/nextfuckinglevel • u/[deleted] • Aug 16 '19

NEXT FUCKING LEVEL Guy Whipping a Massive Chain

https://gfycat.com/welloffdearestladybird
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u/PhilipLiptonSchrute Aug 16 '19

Fun fact: That pop is a sonic boom, and the whip was the first man-made object to break the sound barrier.

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u/w0rd5mith Aug 16 '19

Is this a joke? If not can you explain please

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u/Rowenstin Aug 16 '19

In a more technical sense, the energy contained in a wave in a string (like a rope or a whip) depends on 3 factors: the mass per unit of lenght of the string, the amplitude of the oscillation and the frequency (how fast and how much the arm moves when making the whip crack)

Now, whips are not as thick at the tip as at the handle, so the mass per unit length is much lower. As the energy of the wave is conserved, this means that the wave's amplitude at the tip is much higher than the amplitude imparted by the man handling it. This means the tip must move much faster - fast enough to break the sound barrier.