Lesson Plans and Worksheets
Browse by Subject
Doppler effect Teacher Resources
Find teacher approved Doppler Effect educational resource ideas and activities
Eleventh graders investigate the Doppler effect as it relates to relative motion on frequency of a sound source. In this Doppler effect lesson, 11th graders assemble buzzer-battery devices, look for changes or lack of pitch in the sound waves emitted by the buzzers, and collect data. Students solve the Doppler effect problem and discuss details of their work and thought process.
An incredibly colorful PowerPoint presents all the facts and definitions about waves that you could need for beginning physical scientists. There are several useful links to online animations of wave action. This may have been produced by a student, but it is still a nice piece that states the important information clearly and will definitely keep the attention of your class. You may want to prepare a question sheet with a sequence related directly to this slide show.
Play twenty questions with your physics class as they are learning about sound waves. Short answers and matching-style questions about the speed of sound in different media, characteristics of sound waves, and even the Doppler effect challenge learners to share what they have heard. This compact assignment would make a nice quiz.
High schoolers examine and explain how the distance to nearby stars can be measured by the parallax method, discuss the role of women in the history of American astronomy, form their own opinions of the importance of Harlow Shapley and Edwin Hubble in the history of astronomy, and examine and explain the Doppler shift and especially the significance of the red-shift.