Define Doppler Effect and Give an Example

DEFINITION

  • Whenever there is a relative motion between a source and a listener, the frequency of the sound heard by the listener is different from the original frequency of sound emitted by the source.
  • This is known as the “Doppler effect”.

Example

  • The whistle of a fast-moving train appears to increase in pitch as it approaches a stationary listener and it appears to decrease as the train moves away from the listener.
  • This apparent change in frequency was first observed and explained by Christian Doppler (1803-1853), an Austrian Mathematician and Physicist.
  • He observed that the frequency of the sound as received by a listener is different from the original frequency produced by the source whenever there is a relative motion between the source and the listener.
  • This is known as the Doppler effect This relative motion could be due to various possibilities as follows:
      • The listener moves towards or away from a stationary source
      • The source moves towards or away from a stationary listener
      • Both source and listener move towards or away from one other
      • The medium moves when both source and listener are at rest

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