Doppler Effect 2 Homework: Calculating Distance of Police Car from Ambulance

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the distance of a police car from an ambulance using the Doppler Effect principles. The ambulance travels at 84.0 km/h with a siren frequency of 1.7 kHz, while the police car moves towards it at 80.0 km/h with a siren frequency of 3.2 kHz. Given that the speed of sound in air is 345.0 m/s and the time for the sound to travel to the ambulance and back is 0.15 seconds, the calculated distance is 25.9 meters. The solution emphasizes that the distance can be determined by calculating the distance sound travels in the given time and dividing by two.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the Doppler Effect and its formula: f'=\left( \frac{v+v_o}{v-v_s}\right) f
  • Knowledge of basic kinematics, particularly distance, speed, and time relationships
  • Familiarity with sound wave properties, including frequency and speed of sound in air
  • Ability to perform unit conversions, especially between km/h and m/s
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Doppler Effect in detail, including applications in real-world scenarios
  • Learn how to convert speeds from km/h to m/s for physics calculations
  • Explore sound wave properties and their impact on frequency and wavelength
  • Practice similar problems involving sound travel time and distance calculations
USEFUL FOR

Students studying physics, particularly those focusing on wave mechanics and the Doppler Effect, as well as educators looking for practical examples of sound wave behavior in motion.

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Homework Statement



An ambulance is traveling at 84.0 km/h. The ambulance has a siren which produces sound at a frequency of 1.7 kHz. Assume the speed of sound in air is 345.0 m/s.

A police car is traveling at a constant speed of 80.0 km/h directly towards the ambulance. The police car has a siren which produces sound at a frequency 3.2 kHz. The sound from the siren reflects off the ambulance. If the time taken for the sound of the siren to travel from the police car to the ambulance and back again is 0.15 s, how far is the police car from the ambulance at this moment? (You can neglect the distance the police car has moved in this time)

Homework Equations



General Doppler-shift expression: f'=\left( \frac{v+v_o}{v-v_s}\right) f

The Attempt at a Solution



The answer is 25.9 meters, but I've absolutely no idea what strategy to use in this problem. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.
 
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Lol :D That doesn't have to do anything with a Doppler effect. Well, the answer given it seems to be a very simplified exercise-just calculate the distance that a sound wave makes in 0.15 s and divide it by 2 (there and back againg :)).
 

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