217k views
1 vote
As you stand by the side of the road, a car approaches you at a constant speed, sounding itshorn, and you hear a frequency of 76 hz. after the car goes by, you hear a frequency of 65 is the speed of the car? the speed of sound in air is 343 m/s.

a)28 m/s
b)26 m/s
c)29 m/s
d)30 m/s

User Doplumi
by
8.0k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

To find the speed of the car, we can use the formula for the Doppler effect and set up a system of equations using the given frequencies. Solving the system, we find that there is no valid speed for the car that would result in the given frequencies.None of the above options are correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, we are dealing with the Doppler effect, which is the apparent change in frequency or pitch of a sound or light wave due to relative motion between the source of the wave and the observer. The formula for the Doppler effect is given as:

f' = f * (v + vo) / (v - vs)

Where:

  • f' is the perceived frequency
  • f is the actual frequency
  • v is the speed of sound in air
  • vo is the velocity of the observer (in this case, the student)
  • vs is the velocity of the source (in this case, the car)

To find the speed of the car, we can set up an equation using the given frequencies:

76 = 65 * (343 + vo) / (343 - vs)

Simplifying this equation, we get:

76 * (343 - vs) = 65 * (343 + vo)

We also know that the speed of sound is given as 343 m/s, so we can substitute this value into the equation:

76 * (343 - vs) = 65 * (343 + vo)

Simplifying further:

26168 - 76vs = 22295 + 65vo

Moving like terms to one side of the equation, we get:

76vs + 65vo = 3882

Now we need another equation to solve for the speed of the car. Since the frequency decreases after the car passes, we use a negative value for the velocity of the source:

-65 = 76 * (343 + vo) / (343 - (-vs))

Simplifying this equation, we get:

-65 * (343 - (-vs)) = 76 * (343 + vo)

Substituting the value of 343 for the speed of sound:

-65 * (343 + vs) = 76 * (343 + vo)

Simplifying further:

-22295 - 65vs = 26168 + 76vo

Moving like terms to one side of the equation, we get:

65vs + 76vo = -48463

Now we have a system of two equations:

76vs + 65vo = 3882

65vs + 76vo = -48463

To solve this system, we can use any method of solving simultaneous equations, such as substitution or elimination. Using the elimination method, we can multiply the first equation by 65 and the second equation by 76 to eliminate the coefficient of the variable 'vs'. This gives us:

4940vs + 4225vo = 252330

4940vs + 5856vo = -368233

Subtracting the first equation from the second equation, we get:

1626vo = -620563

Solving for 'vo', we find:

vo = -381.42 m/s

Since the velocity of the observer cannot be negative, we discard this solution. Therefore, there is no valid speed for the car that would result in the given frequencies. The correct answer is none of the provided options (a), (b), (c), or (d).

User Sharon Watinsan
by
9.0k points