- #1
John Ker
- 16
- 1
Homework Statement
1. On a long trip that you take to forget for a while about physics, you find yourself driving
directly towards a canyon wall. You’ve previously noticed that your car horn has a
frequency of 440 Hz. You glance at the speedometer and notice you’re moving at 30
km/h. (8.333...m/s)
What is the beat frequency you experience?
Homework Equations
Various Doppler Effect Equations and Beat Frequency
The Attempt at a Solution
I need to calculate the beat frequency for this question, to do that I need both frequencies from the reflection of the wall and the sound I hear from the horn itself.
Is it correct to treat the wall as its own source? Therefore I am traveling towards the source?
What about the second doppler effect? I am struggling to figure it out. It is me traveling towards the source again? That wouldn't make sense as I am traveling to two sources? ahh I am stuck.
(How does the frequency change when I am traveling with the source?)
Thanks!