Oblique shock

Summary

An oblique shock is a shock wave in a supersonic flow that is inclined to the incoming flow direction. The flow crossing it is turned towards the shock by a deflection angle and slowed down, while the velocity component along the shock is unchanged. Oblique shocks form when a supersonic flow meets a wedge, a concave corner or the inlet of an engine. The relation between the Mach number, the shock angle and the deflection angle is the basic tool of their theory. See the definition.