Calculating Relativistic Doppler Shift for Moving Radar

In summary, the conversation discusses a problem involving a car approaching a radar at a speed of 135 km/h and the resulting difference of frequency observed by the radar, given a working frequency of 2 \times 10 ^{9} Hz. The solution involves converting the speed to m/s and using the formula \mu=\frac{\mu _0 \sqrt {1- \frac{v^2}{c^2}}}{1-\frac{v}{c}} to calculate the difference of frequency, which is found to be 1.024 \times 10^{13} Hz. However, it is noted that this number is too large and a Taylor expansion for small values of v/c may be a more accurate approach.
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Homework Statement


A car is getting closer to a radar as a speed of 135 km/h. If the radar works at a [tex]2 \times 10 ^{9} Hz[/tex], what difference of frequency is observed for the radar?

Homework Equations


[tex]\mu=\frac{\mu _0 \sqrt {1- \frac{v^2}{c^2}}}{1-\frac{v}{c}}[/tex]

The Attempt at a Solution


I converted 135 km/h into m/s, which gave me [tex]\frac { 1350 m }{36 s}[/tex].
Then I applied the formula and [tex]\mu - \mu _0[/tex] gave me [tex]1.024 \times 10^{13} Hz[/tex] which seems WAY too big to be realistic. Am I missing something? Is it a wrong formula?!
 
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  • #2
The formula is correct and I agree the number is way too large. Can you show how you got it? A word of caution: v/c is too small to plug in a calculator and expect something other than μ0, i.e. no frequency shift. I suggest that you try a Taylor expansion for small values of v/c.
 

1. What is the Relativistic Doppler effect?

The Relativistic Doppler effect is a phenomenon in which the observed frequency and wavelength of a wave, such as light or sound, is affected by the relative motion between the source of the wave and the observer. It is based on the principles of special relativity, which states that the laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion.

2. How does the Relativistic Doppler effect differ from the classical Doppler effect?

The classical Doppler effect only accounts for the change in frequency and wavelength due to the relative motion between the source and observer, while the Relativistic Doppler effect also takes into account the effects of time dilation and length contraction. This is because the classical Doppler effect is based on the assumption of constant propagation speed, while special relativity states that the speed of light is always constant.

3. What is the formula for calculating the Relativistic Doppler effect?

The formula for calculating the Relativistic Doppler effect is: fobs = fsource * √[(1-β)/(1+β)], where fobs is the observed frequency, fsource is the source frequency, and β is the relative velocity between the source and observer divided by the speed of light.

4. What are some practical applications of the Relativistic Doppler effect?

The Relativistic Doppler effect has many practical applications in various fields such as astronomy, aviation, and medicine. In astronomy, it is used to study the motion and properties of celestial objects. In aviation, it is used to calculate the speed and direction of aircraft. In medicine, it is used in techniques such as Doppler ultrasound to measure blood flow and diagnose cardiovascular diseases.

5. How does the Relativistic Doppler effect affect the perception of color?

The Relativistic Doppler effect can cause a shift in the perceived color of an object due to the change in the wavelength of light. For example, a moving object emitting red light will appear more blue to an observer moving towards it, and more red to an observer moving away from it. This effect is known as the relativistic Doppler shift and is used in the study of redshift and blueshift in astronomy.

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