The Doppler Effect Practice Problems
An asteroid crashes into the earth's atmosphere creating a cone-shaped shock wave. The angle between the shock wave and the asteroid's direction of motion is 44.0°. Take the speed of sound at high altitudes to be 295 m/s. Determine the asteroid's Mach number for that instant.
A police car is chasing a large vehicle at a speed of 33.0 m/s. The siren on the police car is emitting sound at a frequency of 1400 Hz. The vehicle is running away at a speed of 22.0 m/s. Determine the frequency of the sound reflected by the large vehicle as heard by police in the police car.
An ambulance behind a wide-load truck driving in the same direction emits an alert tone at 1500 Hz. The ambulance moves at 28.0 m/s and the truck moves at 14.0 m/s. Determine the wavelength of the waves reflected by the truck's load measured relative to the ambulance.
A truck driving at 16.5 m/s emits a sound of frequency 420 Hz from its horn in motionless air. Calculate the frequency heard by a driver in a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction and receding from the truck at 25.0 m/s.
A car driving at 15 m/s hoots at a frequency of 410 Hz in the motionless air. Determine the frequency heard by a driver in another car moving at 25 m/s in the opposite direction and approaching the hooting car.