What is the derivation of the Doppler effect for light using Taylor expansion?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the derivation of the Doppler effect for light using Taylor expansion, specifically addressing a misunderstanding regarding the application of the Taylor series. The original equation presented by the lecturer is fr = fs(1 ± (u/c))^(1/2) (1 ± (u/c))^(-1/2), which simplifies to fr = fs(1 ± (1/2)(u/c))(1 ± (1/2)(u/c). The participant incorrectly assumed that the term (u/c) should be squared in the Taylor expansion, leading to confusion about the derivation process.

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Homework Statement



This isn't strictly a homework problem, but I didn't know where else to post this. I can't get the same derivation as my lecturer for the Doppler effect of light - which is shown in the attached file. If you cannot open this, I re-wrote it further down.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


For the part in the red box, I thought one would do this via Taylor expansion, thus I expected the ##\frac{u}{c}## to be squared, i.e fr = fs##(1 \pm \frac{1}{2}\frac{u}{c}^2)(1 \pm \frac{1}{2}\frac{u}{c}^2)##. I can't see why this wouldn't be the case. Could someone please tell me why I'm wrong?

(In case you cannot open the file, my lecture notes say fr = fs##(1 \pm \frac{u}{c})^\frac{1}{2} (1 \pm \frac{u}{c})^\frac{-1}{2}##=##(1 \pm \frac{1}{2}\frac{u}{c})(1 \pm \frac{1}{2}\frac{u}{c})##)
 

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McClaurin series of (1+x)1/2 = 1 + (1/2) x + ... Note that x is not squared in the second term of the right side.
 

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