Why does the Doppler Effect vary depending on if it is the source or the observer moving

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We were doing some physics problems with sound and the Doppler effect today. One problem had two scenarios where one was source moving away and the other was the listener moving away. The math gave two answers that were close but not the same. I don’t understand how they can be different when speed is relative.

In: Physics

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It’s been a long time since I took physics; could the discrepancy be from the relative speed difference between receiving the sound waves while standing still (343m/s) and while moving away (say at 3m/s making a difference of 340m/s instead)?

The source of sound traveling away won’t change the speed in which sound arrives at the stationary target, but if the target is moving would that create your relative difference?

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