Waves
Doppler Effect (General)
Frequency shift for moving source and/or observer.
Variables
f'Hz
Observed frequency
Frequency heard
In SI units: 1/s
fHz
Source frequency
Emitted frequency
In SI units: 1/s
vm/s
Wave speed
Speed in medium
vom/s
Observer velocity
Observer speed
vsm/s
Source velocity
Source speed
Derivation
Upper signs: approaching. Lower signs: receding.
Your notes
0/5000
Other waves formulas with the same quantities
- Wave Equation (Wave Properties) shares Wave speed
- Wave Speed on String (Wave Properties) shares Wave speed
Where this formula is listed
- Waves formulas, under Doppler Effect, alongside Doppler Shift (Light).
- In the waves list it comes after Sound Intensity Level Addition and before Doppler Effect (Approaching).
- Waves formula sheet, one of 37 formulas printed with symbol keys and SI units.
- The full formula index, grouped by category and topic.
Common questions
What is the Doppler Effect (General) formula?
Doppler Effect (General) is written f′ = f((v ± v_o)/(v ∓ v_s)). Frequency shift for moving source and/or observer. It belongs to Waves, under Doppler Effect.
What are the units in f′ = f((v ± v_o)/(v ∓ v_s))?
In SI units, f′ is observed frequency, measured in 1/s; f is source frequency, measured in 1/s; v is wave speed, measured in m/s; v_o is observer velocity, measured in m/s; v_s is source velocity, measured in m/s.
How is the Doppler Effect (General) formula derived?
Upper signs: approaching. Lower signs: receding. The result is f′ = f((v ± v_o)/(v ∓ v_s)).