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No. At right angles, there is no wavefront compression or expansion to cause a Doppler shift. However, the only way to move at perpetual right angles is when the source moves on a circle (or sphere) about the observer (or vice versa). What is more common is something like when a train whistle (source) passes by a station (observer) at constant speed; in this case, the direction of motion and line-of-sight are only at right angles for the moment that the train whistle is directly in front of the station. At that moment, there is no Doppler shift. But before or after that moment, there is a decreasing or increasing Doppler shift as more or less of the motion is perpendicular to the line-of-sight, respectively. To understand the concept of wavefront compression, imagine you're throwing a Basketball at a person walking toward you. Pretend the basketball always moves at the same speed, and pretend the only way it can change direction is by bouncing off of something. The first time it bounces and comes back in 2 minutes. You do it again, and the second time it bounces and comes back in 1 minute and 50 seconds. That is because the distance between you and the person has been compressed by his/her motion. When a sound wave (or radio wave or light wave) is compressed, it changes frequency. If the person is walking in a circle, the distance is never compressed - by definition all points on a circle/sphere are equi-distant from the center. I'm a radar engineer and Doppler effect is a significant part of my job.

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Related Questions

A detected apparent change in the pitch caused by the motion of a sound source or of an observer is called?

The Doppler effect.The Doppler effect.The Doppler effect.The Doppler effect.


The apparent change in the frequency of a sound emitted by a moving object as it passes a stationary observer is called the what effect?

Doppler effect.


The change in wave frequency of energy as it moves toward or away from an observer is the?

The Doppler effect. Good luck with your homework.


The shifting of lightwaves as an object moves away from the observer is what?

The Doppler effect


What does the Doppler effect graph illustrate?

The Doppler effect graph illustrates how the frequency of a wave changes when the source of the wave is moving relative to the observer.


What changes are due to the Doppler effect?

The Doppler effect causes changes in the frequency, wavelength, and pitch of a wave when there is relative motion between the source of the wave and an observer. For sound waves, this effect explains shifts in pitch as a sound source moves towards or away from an observer. In terms of light, the Doppler effect can cause shifts in the color and frequency of light from an object that is moving relative to an observer.


Why doesn't the Doppler shift appear when an observer moves toward the source?

When an observer moves towards the source of a sound or light wave, the observed frequency increases due to the Doppler effect. In the case of sound, the change in frequency leads to a higher pitch when the observer is moving towards the source.


How does wavelength affect the Doppler Effect?

The Doppler Effect is the change in frequency of a wave due to the relative motion between the source and observer. For light waves, the Doppler Effect is primarily related to the velocity of the source or observer; the wavelength of light does not significantly affect the Doppler Effect. As the source or observer move toward each other, the perceived wavelength decreases (blue shift), while moving away from each other results in increased wavelength (red shift).


What is the Doppler effect on sound?

The Doppler effect on sound refers to the change in pitch of a sound wave as the source of the sound moves relative to an observer. If the source is moving towards the observer, the pitch increases (higher frequency), and if the source is moving away, the pitch decreases (lower frequency).


How can the Doppler effect help us?

By determining the speed of an object, towards or away from the observer.


When a sound source is moving away from an observer the observer will hear a lower pitch. This is due to?

the Doppler effect, which causes the observed frequency of a sound wave to decrease as the source moves farther away from the observer. As the sound waves spread out over a larger distance, the observer perceives a lower pitch.


What is the Doppler effect What causes it to occur?

The Doppler effect is the change in frequency or wavelength of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source. It occurs because the movement of the observer changes the effective distance between the observer and the wave source, leading to a perceived shift in the frequency of the wave.