A car moves at a constant velocity of 22 m.s⁻¹ on a straight horizontal road TOWARDS a stationary device, which can both emit and detect sound waves - NSC Physical Sciences - Question 6 - 2023 - Paper 1
Question 6
A car moves at a constant velocity of 22 m.s⁻¹ on a straight horizontal road TOWARDS a stationary device, which can both emit and detect sound waves.
The device emi... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A car moves at a constant velocity of 22 m.s⁻¹ on a straight horizontal road TOWARDS a stationary device, which can both emit and detect sound waves - NSC Physical Sciences - Question 6 - 2023 - Paper 1
Step 1
State the Doppler effect in words.
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Answer
The Doppler effect is the apparent change in frequency (or pitch) of a sound detected by a listener, due to the relative motion between a source of sound and the observer. As the source approaches the observer, the frequency appears to increase, and as it moves away, the frequency appears to decrease.
Step 2
If the speed of sound in air is 340 m.s⁻¹, calculate the frequency of the reflected sound waves detected by the device.
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Answer
To calculate the frequency of the reflected sound waves detected by the device, we use the Doppler effect formula. The formula for the observed frequency is:
fl=fsv−vsv+vL
Where:
fl is the observed frequency.
fs is the source frequency = 24000 Hz.
v is the speed of sound = 340 m.s⁻¹.
vL is the velocity of the listener (device) = 0 m.s⁻¹ (since the device is stationary).
vs is the velocity of the source (car) = 22 m.s⁻¹.
Substituting the values:
fl=24000340−22340+0fl=24000318340
Calculating further gives:
fl≈25225.68 Hz
Thus, the frequency of the reflected sound waves detected by the device is approximately 25226 Hz.