Doppler Effect: Will the Frequency Change Upon Reflection?

In summary, when a sound source emitting a specific frequency moves towards a cliff, the frequency of the sound that reaches the cliff is not the same as the original frequency due to the doppler effect. The frequency of the sound reflected by the cliff will simply remain the same as the frequency that reached the cliff. This is because the sound wave becomes decoupled from the source and the air only registers the resulting frequency, which includes the original frequency and the effect of the source's traveling velocity.
  • #1
brainyman89
97
0
When a source emitting a sound of a specific frequency moves towards the face of a cliff at a speed. The frequency of the sound that reaches the cliff is for sure not the same as the frequency emitted from the source due to doppler effect.
Will the frequency of the sound reflected by the cliff return to its original value(without doppler effect) or will it remain the same as the frequency that reached the cliff?
 
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  • #2
I would say that the frequency of the sound simply remains the same.

Think about it.

Sound is a high/low pressure wave traveling in air and frequency is the distance (in time) between two consecutive high pressure peaks or low pressure valleys...whatever...the thing is once this pressure wave has been launched and put in motion in the air by the source...the source becomes irrelevant...the wave is now decouple from the source.

Additionally, we could say that the air does not know anything about the "original" frequency of the sound as it came out of its source...the air just ends up "seeing" the resulting frequency of the sound, resulting from the "original" frequency of the sound, "plus" the effect of the traveling velocity of the source...

does this help?
 

Related to Doppler Effect: Will the Frequency Change Upon Reflection?

1. What is the Doppler Effect?

The Doppler Effect is the change in frequency of a wave when the source of the wave is moving relative to the observer. This phenomenon is commonly observed with sound waves, where the pitch of the sound appears higher when the source is approaching and lower when the source is moving away.

2. Does the Doppler Effect only apply to sound waves?

No, the Doppler Effect can also be observed with other types of waves, such as light waves. This is known as the Doppler shift and is commonly used in astronomy to determine the speed and direction of celestial objects.

3. How does the Doppler Effect change the frequency of a wave?

The frequency of a wave is directly proportional to the speed of the source and inversely proportional to the speed of the observer. When the source is moving towards the observer, the frequency increases because the waves are compressed. When the source is moving away, the frequency decreases because the waves are stretched.

4. Will the frequency change upon reflection with the Doppler Effect?

Yes, the frequency of a wave will also change upon reflection with the Doppler Effect. This is because the reflected wave will have a different relative speed to the observer compared to the original wave.

5. How does the Doppler Effect affect different types of waves?

The Doppler Effect affects different types of waves in similar ways, but the specific formulas for calculating the change in frequency may vary. For example, the formula for sound waves is different from the formula for light waves. However, the underlying principle remains the same: the frequency of a wave will change if the source or observer is in motion relative to each other.

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