TEXT B The prefix Mach is used to describe supersonic speed. It was named for Ernst Mach(1838-1916), a Czech-born Austrian physicist, who contributed to the study of sound. When twice the speed of sound, it is Mach 2. When it is near but below the speed of sound, its speed can be designated at less than Mach 1, for example, Mach 0. 90. Mach is defined as' the ratio of the velocity of a rocket or a jet to the velocity of sound in the medium being considered. ' When a plane passes the sound barrier ---- flying faster than sound travels, listeners in the area hear thunderclaps, but the pilot of the plane does not hear them. Sound is produced by vibrations of an object and is transmitted by alternate increase and decrease in pressure that radiate outward through a material media of molecules ---- some what like waves spreading out on a pond after a rock has been tossed into it. The frequency of sound is determined by the number of times the vibrating waves undulate per second and is measured in cycles per second. The slower the cycle of waves, the lower the frequency. As frequencies increase, the sound is higher in pitch. Sound is audible to human beings only if the frequency falls within a certain range. The human ear is usually not sensitive to frequencies of fewer than 20 vibrations per second, or more than about 20, 000 vibrations per second --- although this range varies among individuals. Anything at a pitch higher than the human ear can hear is termed ultrasonic. Intensity, or loudness, is the strength of the pressure of these radiating waves and is measured in decibels. The human ear responds to intensity in a range from zero to 120 decibels. Any sound with pressure over 120 decibels is painful to the human ear. The speed of sound is generally placed at 1088 feet per second at sea level at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It varies in other temperatures and in different media. Sound travels faster in water than in air, and even faster in iron and steel. It travels a mile in 5 seconds in air, it does a mile under water in 1 second, and it travels through iron in 1/3 second. It travels through ice cold vapor at approximately 4,708 feet per second; ice-cold water, 4,938; granite, 12,960; hardwood, 12,620; brick, 11,960, glass, 16,410 to 19,690; silver, 8,658; gold, 5,717. According to this passage, “Mach” refers to [A] the ratio of the air speed of an aircraft to the speed of sound. [B] a machine. [C] a Czech-born Australian physicist. [D] the pilot of the plane.