AbstractA qualitative survey of one‐dimensional shock‐tube theory is presented first. The concepts discussed include: 1. the contact surface, 2. the incident and reflected shock wave, 3. the rarefaction wave, 4. interactions between shock and rarefaction waves, and 5. temperature and pressure versus time histories in shock‐tube experiments.Finally, a brief survey of measurement techniques suitable for determining the state of the gas behind incident and reflected shocks is presented. Techniques are discussed for measuring: 1. pressure, 2. density, 3. ionization and conductivity, 4. temperature, 5. light absorption and emission, 6. spectroscopic, 7. and light reflection.