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The Speed of Sound: + Text Only Site + Non-Flash Version + Contact Glenn

The document discusses the Doppler effect, which is when the pitch of a sound changes as the source of the sound moves towards or away from the observer. As an object moves through air, it disturbs the air and generates sound waves that travel at the constant speed of sound. When the source is approaching, the wavelength is shorter and frequency is higher, so a higher pitch is heard. When receding, the wavelength is longer, frequency is lower, and a lower pitch is heard. The Doppler effect can be described mathematically using equations relating the source frequency, speed of sound, and velocity of the source.

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77 views2 pages

The Speed of Sound: + Text Only Site + Non-Flash Version + Contact Glenn

The document discusses the Doppler effect, which is when the pitch of a sound changes as the source of the sound moves towards or away from the observer. As an object moves through air, it disturbs the air and generates sound waves that travel at the constant speed of sound. When the source is approaching, the wavelength is shorter and frequency is higher, so a higher pitch is heard. When receding, the wavelength is longer, frequency is lower, and a lower pitch is heard. The Doppler effect can be described mathematically using equations relating the source frequency, speed of sound, and velocity of the source.

Uploaded by

TANMAY ANAND
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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1/21/2018 Doppler Effect

+ Text Only Site


+ Non-Flash Version
+ Contact Glenn

As any object moves through the air, the air near the object is disturbed. The disturbances are transmitted through the air at
a distinct speed called the speed of sound. Sound is a sensation created in the human brain in response to small pressure
fluctuations in the air. Sound moves through the air as a series of waves. When the waves pass our ears, a sound is
detected. The distance between any two waves is called the wavelength and the time interval between waves passing is
called the frequency . The wavelength and the frequency are related by the speed of sound; high frequency implies short
wavelength and low frequency implies a long wavelength. The brain associates a certain musical pitch with each frequency;
the higher the frequency, the higher the pitch. Similarly, shorter wavelengths produce higher pitches. The speed of
transmission of the sound remains a constant regardless of the frequency or the wavelength. The speed of sound only
depends on the state of the air (or gas) not on the characteristics of the generating source.

Because the speed of sound depends only on the state of the gas, some interesting physical phenomena occur when a
sound source moves through a uniform gas. You can study some of these phenomena by using the interactive sound wave
simulator. As the source moves it continues to generate sound waves which move at the speed of sound. Since the source
is moving slower than the speed of sound, the waves move out away from the source. Upstream (in the direction of the
motion), the waves bunch up and the wavelength decreases. Downstream, the waves spread out and the wavelength
increases. The sound that our ear detects will change in pitch as the object passes. This change in pitch is called a doppler
effect. There are equations that describe the doppler effect. As the moving source approaches our ear, the wavelength is
shorter, the frequency is higher and we hear a higher pitch. If we call the approaching frequency fa, the speed of sound a,
the velocity of the approaching souce u, and the frequency of the sound at the source f, then

fa = [f * a] / [a - u]

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/doppler.html 1/2
1/21/2018 Doppler Effect
As the moving source leaves us, the wavelength is longer, the frequency is lower and the pitch is lower. Again. if the leaving
frequency is called fl, then

fl = [f * a] / [a + u]

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