Physics Waves MDCAT 2019
PMDC Verified Question 101 of 125
What will be the expression for the observed frequency, if the source is moving towards the observer?
A
\( f_o = \left(\frac{v}{v-u_s}\right)f \)
B
\( f_o = \left(\frac{v}{v+u_s}\right)f \)
C
\( f_o = \left(\frac{v}{v+u_o}\right)f \)
D
\( f_o = \left(\frac{v}{v-u_o}\right)f_o \)
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option A: \( f_o = \left(\frac{v}{v-u_s}\right)f \)
Concept:

The Doppler Effect predicts a change in observed frequency when there is relative motion. An approaching source compresses the wave fronts in the direction of travel.

Formula:

$$ f_o = \left( \frac{v}{v - u_s} \right) f $$

Solution:

  • Because the source is moving towards the observer, the waves are "crowded" together. This physically shortens the wavelength.


  • A shorter apparent wavelength directly results in a higher apparent frequency.


  • To yield a fraction greater than 1, the denominator must be decreased. Therefore, we subtract the source velocity (\( u_s \)) from the wave velocity (\( v \)) in the denominator.


Why other options are incorrect:

Option B represents a source moving away. Options C and D wrongly place the variables (using observer velocity \( u_o \) in the denominator instead of the numerator).

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

Want to solve full-length papers under timed exam conditions?

Practice with zero-scroll lockdown sprints, dynamic latency zone timers, live peer selection telemetry, and the automated Amber mistake recovery loop.