In many cartoon shows, a character runs of a cliff, realizes his predicament and lets out a scream. He continues to scream as he falls. If the physical situation is portrayed correctly, from the vantage point of an observer at the foot of the cliff, the pitch of the scream should be
A) higher than the original pitch and constant.
B) higher than the original pitch and increasing as he falls.
C) lower than the original pitch and constant.
D) lower than the original pitch and decreasing as he falls.
E) It is impossible to predict.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

As the character falls, they are accelerating downwards, which will increase the frequency (and therefore pitch) of their scream. This is due to the Doppler effect, which states that the frequency of a wave (in this case, the sound wave that makes up the scream) will change if either the source (in this case, the character) or the observer (in this case, someone at the foot of the cliff) is in motion relative to the other. Since the character is falling towards the observer, the frequency of the scream will increase, resulting in a higher pitch.

In Many Cartoon Shows, a Character Runs of a Cliff