JEE AdvancedPhysicsWavesMCQ+3 / −1
Two trains and are moving with speeds and respectively in the same direction on the same straight track, with ahead of . The engines are at the front ends. The engines of train A blows a long whistle. Assume that the sound of the whistle is composed of components varying in frequency from to , as shown in the figure. The spread in the frequency (highest frequency - lowest frequency) is thus . The speed of sound in still air is .
The distribution of the sound intensity of the whistle as observed by the passengers in train is best represented by
The distribution of the sound intensity of the whistle as observed by the passengers in train is best represented by- A

- B

- C

- D

View written solutionFree
Correct answer: A
Step-by-step Solution:
-
Identify the Source and the Observer:
- The source of the sound is the whistle from the engine of train A.
- The observers are the passengers inside train A.
-
Determine the Relative Motion:
- Train A is moving at a speed of .
- Since both the engine (source) and the passengers (observers) are on the same train (train A), they are moving with the same velocity.
- Therefore, the relative velocity between the source and the observer is zero. .
-
Apply the Doppler Effect Principle:
- The Doppler effect describes the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source.
- The general formula for the observed frequency () is given by: where is the source frequency, is the speed of sound, is the observer's speed, and is the source's speed.
- A Doppler shift (i.e., ) occurs only if there is relative motion between the source and the observer.
-
Analyze the Outcome for Passengers in Train A:
- Since the relative velocity between the engine of train A (source) and the passengers of train A (observers) is zero, there is no Doppler effect.
- This means the frequencies observed by the passengers will be exactly the same as the frequencies emitted by the source.
- The problem states that the source whistle emits frequencies ranging from to . The spread in frequency is .
- Therefore, the passengers in train A will observe the same frequency range (800 Hz to 1120 Hz) and the same intensity distribution as emitted by the source.
-
Evaluate the Options:
- The question asks for the best representation of the sound intensity distribution as observed by the passengers in train A.
- We must look for the graph that shows the original, un-shifted frequency distribution, which spans from 800 Hz to 1120 Hz.
- Option A: This graph shows the intensity distribution over the frequency range from 800 Hz to 1120 Hz. This matches the source distribution.
- Option B and C: These graphs show the frequency range shifted to higher or lower frequencies, respectively. This would be the case if there were a Doppler effect, for instance, for an observer on train B or a stationary observer.
- Option D: This graph shows a distribution with a significantly different frequency spread.
-
Conclusion:
- The correct option is the one that represents the original sound distribution. The information about train B is extraneous and acts as a distractor.
- Option A correctly depicts the frequency distribution from 800 Hz to 1120 Hz, which is what the passengers on train A would hear.
(Self-check: For passengers on train B, which is moving ahead of A, the source and observer are moving away from each other. The observed frequency would be lower, given by . This would result in a frequency shift to lower values and a narrower spread, likely corresponding to option C. This confirms that the other options represent different physical scenarios.)
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