When an automobile moves towards a listener, does the sound of its horn seem relatively low pitched, high pitched or normal?

1 Answer
Steve J.
Mar 9, 2018

Higher than normal pitch.

Explanation:

The peak of the sound wave that arrives at #t = t_1# did not have to travel as far as the previous peak did because the car came closer. That means that the time between the 2 peaks was less than if the car was standing still. Frequency, #f#, is

#f = "number of peaks"/(time)#

Therefore the frequency you heard was higher than if the car was standing still. Higher frequency means higher pitch.

I hope this helps,
Steve

Related questions
See all questions in Doppler Effect and Shock Wave
Impact of this question
5563 views around the world
You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License