relative Mach number


relative Mach number

[′rel·əd·iv ′mäk ‚nəm·bər] (fluid mechanics) Mach number

Mach number

The ratio of the velocity of a body to that of sound in a surrounding medium. A Mach number of 0.8 or 1.2 means that the aircraft is flying at 0.8 or 1.2 times, respectively, the local speed of sound at that ambient temperature. Also known as a relative Mach number.