PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Which speed should be used in calculating the mach number?
Old 26th Jun 2013, 10:20
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keith williams
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: England
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The mach meter gives an indicated mach number that is the ratio of dynamic pressure to static pressure.

Mach Number = Dynamic Pressure / Static Pressure.

Dynamic Pressure = 1/2 Rho V squared

Static Pressure = Rho g H, where H is the height of the column of air above us.

So we have Mach Number = 1/2 Rho Vsquared / Rho g H

Dividing both sides of this equation by Rho gives us

Mach Number = 1/2 Vsquared / gH

Rho is not in the above equation, so changes in Rho do not change the indicated mach number.

Or to put it in a slightly different way, if the temperature changes it causes the value of Rho to change. But because Rho is in both sides of the mach number equation, this change in Rho is self-cancelling.

So changes in temperature do not affect the indicated mach number.

Also because both CAS and mach number are determined using the same dynamic pressure, the mach number at any fixed CAS does not change with temperature.

But because changes in temperature change the ratio of CAS to TAS, any change in temperature will change the TAS at any given mach number.
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