The Doppler effect occurs when the source of a wave is moving. This causes the _____ of the wave to change.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: The Doppler effect occurs when the source of a wave is moving. This causes the _____ of the wave to change.

Option 1: both. The idea that both frequency and speed of the wave change is incorrect. In the Doppler effect, the speed of the wave in the medium remains constant; only the observed frequency changes due to relative motion between source and observer. So this option misstates which property is affected.

Option 2: speed. The speed of the wave in a given medium is determined by the medium's properties (such as its tension, density, or temperature for sound waves) and the wave type. Movement of the source or observer does not change the wave’s intrinsic propagation speed in the medium. Therefore, this choice is inaccurate for describing the Doppler effect.

Option 3: neither. This would imply that neither frequency nor speed changes, which contradicts the observable phenomenon where a shift in pitch (frequency) is detected due to relative motion. Since there is a measurable change in observed frequency, this option is not correct.

Option 4: frequency. The Doppler effect is most commonly described as a change in observed frequency when there is relative motion between source and observer. If the source approaches, the observer perceives a higher frequency; if the source recedes, the observed frequency decreases. This aligns with the core definition of the Doppler shift.

Summary of reasoning: The wave’s speed in the medium is a property of the medium (and remains unchanged by the motion of the source or observer), whereas the Doppler effect manifests as a shift in frequency due to the relative motion. Among the options, only frequency captures this change in the observed wave characteristics caused by motion.

Consequently, the incorrect options fail because they either claim an unchanging speed under motion (speed), claim no change at all (neither), or claim changes in both properties (both), while the accurate description centers on the frequency alteration (frequency).

Physics Honors-Henrikson Unit 9 test part 1

The Doppler effect occurs when the source of a wave is moving. This causes the _____ of the wave to change.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

You stand by the railroad tracks as a train passes by. You hear a 950-Hz frequency when the train approaches, which changes to 820 Hz as it goes away. How fast is the train moving? The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s.

The source of a sound moves away from the listener. The listener has the impression that the source

As a person walks towards the speaker, the frequency he or she hears

How will your perceived frequency change if the source is moving towards you?

In which of the following situations is the Doppler effect absent?

You are standing on the side of the road and a car with a loud siren goes past you. As it moves away you can expect the sound to become _ and the wavelength to become___.

If at a concert you run toward the orchestra, the frequency of the sound you hear will be

If we observe one edge of a star to be redshifted and the opposite edge to be blueshifted, what can we conclude about the star?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler

Physics Honors-Henrikson Unit 9 test part 1

The Doppler effect occurs when the source of a wave is moving. This causes the _____ of the wave to change.

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

You stand by the railroad tracks as a train passes by. You hear a 950-Hz frequency when the train approaches, which changes to 820 Hz as it goes away. How fast is the train moving? The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s.

The source of a sound moves away from the listener. The listener has the impression that the source

As a person walks towards the speaker, the frequency he or she hears

How will your perceived frequency change if the source is moving towards you?

In which of the following situations is the Doppler effect absent?

You are standing on the side of the road and a car with a loud siren goes past you. As it moves away you can expect the sound to become _______ and the wavelength to become_________.

If at a concert you run toward the orchestra, the frequency of the sound you hear will be

If we observe one edge of a star to be redshifted and the opposite edge to be blueshifted, what can we conclude about the star?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Making Your Study Simpler

You are standing on the side of the road and a car with a loud siren goes past you. As it moves away you can expect the sound to become _ and the wavelength to become___.