A jet airliner is cruising at high altitude at a speed of 850 km/h (about 530 mi/h). This is equal to 0.85 times the speed of sound at that altitude (also called "Mach 0.85").
Text Solution
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Solving Eq. 
(speed of sound in an ideal gas) for the temperature,
The variation of atmospheric pressure with altitude, assuming a non-constant temperature. If we know the altitude, 
Since 
,
for 
, and 
. 
commercial aircraft, some military aircraft fly this high. This result assumes a uniform decrease in temperature that is solely due to the increasing altitude. Then, if we use this altitude, the pressure can be found:
and 
, or about .13 atm. Using 
, which overestimates the pressure due to the assumption of an isothermal atmosphere.
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