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

In summary, the problem involves an ambulance traveling at 84.0 km/h with a siren emitting sound at a frequency of 1.7 kHz, and a police car traveling at a constant speed of 80.0 km/h with a siren emitting sound at a frequency of 3.2 kHz. The sound from the police car reflects off the ambulance, and the time taken for the sound to travel from the police car to the ambulance and back is 0.15 s. Using the general Doppler-shift expression, the distance between the police car and the ambulance at this moment can be calculated to be 25.9 meters.
  • #1
roam
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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: [tex]f'=\left( \frac{v+v_o}{v-v_s}\right) f[/tex]

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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  • #2
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 :)).
 

1. What is the Doppler Effect?

The Doppler Effect is the change in frequency or pitch of a sound or light wave as the source of the wave moves closer or farther away from the observer.

2. How does the Doppler Effect apply to a police car and an ambulance?

When a police car and an ambulance are moving towards or away from each other, the sound waves from their sirens will appear to have a higher or lower frequency, respectively, due to the Doppler Effect.

3. How can the Doppler Effect be used to calculate the distance between a police car and an ambulance?

The formula for calculating the distance between two moving objects using the Doppler Effect is: distance = (speed of sound x time difference) / (change in frequency). By measuring the change in frequency and the time difference between when the sound was emitted and when it was received, the distance between the two objects can be calculated.

4. What are the factors that can affect the accuracy of using the Doppler Effect to calculate distance?

The accuracy of using the Doppler Effect to calculate distance can be affected by factors such as the speed of sound, the speed and direction of the objects, and any background noise or interference that may affect the frequency of the sound waves.

5. Can the Doppler Effect be used to calculate distance between stationary objects?

No, the Doppler Effect can only be used to calculate distance between moving objects. If the objects are stationary, there will be no change in frequency of the sound wave and the formula for calculating distance will not apply.

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