Doppler Effect

2.3 Sound Doppler effect- the shift in frequency of a

wave where the source and observer are
Doppler Effect. moving relative to one another.
Shock Waves Two different cases for sound:
Observer moving – source stationary
Source moving- observer stationary.

Observer moving away from a stationary

Observer moving toward a Stationary source
source (Relative velocity decreases)
(Relative Velocity Increases) Vo

V = speed of sound
Vo =speed of observer

vo
fo − fs = fs
v

Relative velocity of wave (v-vo) decreases.

•Relative velocity of wave (vo + v ) increases. Frequency decreases.
•Frequency increases
v − vo v − vo v
v + vo v + vo v fo = = fs = (1 − o )fs
fo = = fs = (1 + o )fs λs v v
λs v v

Source moving toward a stationary observer Source Moving Toward observer A

(wavelength in the medium decreases)

Moving Source Observer

Distance traveled by
source in one period

•When the source is moving the wavelength of the wave in the media is changed •Wavelength decreases λ = λ s − v sT
• source approaches observer A
v v
•Wavelength decreases and frequency heard by observer A increases •Frequency increases fo = =
• Source moves away from observer B. λ s − v s Ts vTs − v s Ts
•Wavelength increases and frequency heard by observer B decreases.
v
fo = fs
v − vs

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 Source Moving Away from observer B
Observer and source moving
v

source vs
λ observer
vo
Moving Source
⎛ v + vo ⎞
Observer fo = fs ⎜ ⎟
•Wavelength increases λ = λ s + v sT ⎝ v − vs ⎠
v v
•Frequency decreases fo = = • The frequency increases when the source and observer are moving toward
λ s + v s Ts vTs + v s Ts each other.
v
fo = fs
v + vs

Question

Observer and source moving A fire truck is going down the street toward a stationary
v
observer sounds an alarm with a frequency fs. Which of
these is true of the frequency heard by the observer.

source vs A. The frequency is higher because the wavelength of the

vo observer sound in air is lengthened.
B. The frequency is higher because the wavelength of the
⎛ v − vo ⎞
fo = fs ⎜ ⎟
sound in air is shortened.
⎝ v + vs ⎠ C. The frequency is higher but the wavelength of the sound
in air is the same as for a stationary truck.
D. The frequency is higher because the speed of sound in
• The frequency decreases when the source and observer are moving away air is faster.
each other.

Example Two trains are approaching each other each moving at 34 m/s. One
train sounds a whistle at a frequency of 1000 Hz. Find the frequency

A fire truck is approaching an observer with a speed of 30 shift of sound heard by an observer on the other train.
m/s. The siren has a frequency of 700 Hz. What
frequency does the observer hear as the truck
approaches? speed of sound 340 m/s v

vs vo

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 Approximate solution for two
Approximate solution at low speeds.
trains approaching
Source moving toward observer. v + vo ⎛ v + v o ⎞⎛ v ⎞ ⎛ v ⎞⎛ v ⎞
fo = fs = ⎜ ⎟⎜⎜ ⎟⎟fs ≅ ⎜1 + o ⎟⎜1 + s ⎟fs
v − vs ⎝ v ⎠⎝ v − v s ⎠ ⎝ v ⎠⎝ v ⎠
v v 1
fo = fs = f = f
v − vs v s
v(1 − s )
v s
1− s negligible
v v
⎛ v v v v ⎞ ⎛ v v ⎞
fo = ⎜1 + s + o + s 2 o ⎟fs ≅ ⎜1 + s + o ⎟fs
At low speed vs <<v ⎝ v v v ⎠ ⎝ v v ⎠
vs
fo ≈ (1 + )fs
v ⎛v v ⎞
fo − fs ≅ ⎜ s + o ⎟fs
Using the relation ⎝ v v ⎠
1
≈ 1+ x When x<<1
• The shift in frequency is approximately proportional to the ratio of the train
1− x velocities to speed of sound as we found in the previous example.
• This is a good approximation when the train velocities are slow compared
to the speed of sound.
• This is a good approximation for the Doppler shift of electromagnetic waves.

Doppler shift of Electromagnetic Doppler Radar

waves
• Electromagnetic waves are also shifted by the Doppler Doppler radar is used to determine the speed of a car.
effect.
• Since EM waves travel in a vacuum the equations
governing the shift are different. f1 f
• The same shift is observed for moving source or moving
observer. f2
u
• For motion with speeds less than the speed of light the
relation is the same as for the approximate shift for sound
waves when u<<v. The beat frequency between the Doppler shifted frequency and the initial
u frequency is measured to determine the speed of the car.
f = fs (1 ± )
c f1 = fs (1+u/c) negligible
u = relative velocities of source and observe. f2 = f1(1+u/c) = fs (1+u/c)2 = fs (1+2u/c + (u/c)2)
c = speed of light u
Positive sign when approaching beat frequency = f2 – fs = 2 fs
c
Negative sign when moving away.

Question
Shock wave
A Doppler shifted radar beam is reflected off a car going
At super-sonic speed the pressure amplitude is large
30m/s coming directly toward a stationary police car. If the
frequency of the radar is 1.00x1010 Hz. The beat frequency of Shock wave front
Sonic boom
the reflected beam with the stationary source is. (speed of
light is 3.00x108m/s) θ
vt
A. 1x102 Hz
ut
B. 2x102 Hz
M<1 M=1 M>1
C. 1x103 Hz
u
Mach number M=
D. 2x103 Hz v
Mach angle θ sin θ = v
u

3
Question

An observer feels a shock wave and sees that the supersonic

jet is at an angle of 20O above the horizon flying in the
horizontal direction. What is the speed
of the jet (take the speed of sound to be 340 m/s)