You tie a battery powered, fixed-frequency buzzer to the end of a string and swing it around in a large horizontal circle. Your friend stands well off to the right and listens to the tone. At which of the labeled locations will the buzzer be when your friend hears the highest frequency?
A
D person swinging B liste
ner
C
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To determine at which labeled location the buzzer will be when your friend hears the highest frequency, we need to consider the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect is the change in frequency or wavelength of a wave as observed by an observer moving relative to the source of the wave.
In this case, the source of the sound wave is the buzzer, and the observer is your friend who is standing well off to the right. As you swing the buzzer around in a large horizontal circle, the distance between the source and the observer will change, affecting the frequency heard by your friend.
There are two main scenarios to consider:
1. As the buzzer moves towards your friend:
- At location A, the buzzer is moving directly towards your friend. Therefore, the relative velocity between the source (buzzer) and observer (friend) is maximum.
- When the relative velocity is maximum, the observed frequency will be higher than the emitted frequency.
2. As the buzzer moves away from your friend:
- At location C, the buzzer is moving directly away from your friend. Therefore, the relative velocity between the source (buzzer) and observer (friend) is minimum.
- When the relative velocity is minimum, the observed frequency will be lower than the emitted frequency.
By considering these scenarios, we can conclude that the highest frequency will be heard by your friend when the buzzer is at location A.
Note: This explanation assumes that the speed of sound remains constant and there are no other factors (such as wind) affecting the observed frequency.