Q.What is Doppler Effect? Obtain an expression for the apparent frequency of sound heard, when the source is in motion with respect to an observer at rest. Mention its applications.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →The Doppler Effect is the apparent shift in frequency due to relative motion between a wave source and observer; for a source moving toward a stationary observer, n' = nv/(v − vs).
Doppler Effect:
The Doppler effect is the phenomenon in which the frequency of a wave (sound, light, etc.) as detected by an observer appears to change (from the frequency actually emitted by the source) whenever there is relative motion between the source and the observer. The apparent frequency increases when the source and observer approach each other, and decreases when they recede from each other.
Derivation — source moving, observer at rest:
Let the actual frequency of the source be , wavelength (where is the speed of sound in the medium), and let the source move with speed toward a stationary observer.
Consider the source emitting successive wave crests. In the time interval of one period (the time between the emission of two successive crests), the source moves a distance toward the observer. Because the source has moved closer by this amount before emitting the next crest, the distance between two successive crests (as measured toward the observer) is compressed:
Since the observer is at rest, the crests reach the observer with speed (the normal wave speed in the medium), so the apparent frequency heard by the observer is:
This shows : the apparent frequency (pitch) increases as the source approaches — hence the higher pitch heard as a car or train approaches.
If instead the source recedes from the stationary observer with speed , a similar argument (with effectively stretched) gives:
so : the apparent frequency decreases as the source moves away — the pitch drops as it passes and recedes.
Applications:
- SONAR: Used by ships/submarines to determine the speed of underwater objects from the Doppler shift of reflected sound (ultrasonic) waves. …
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