[Physics] Hearing a sound backwards because of Doppler effect

acousticsdoppler effect

Consider a supersonic plane (mach 2) aproaching a stationary sound source (e.g a fog horn on a boat).

If I understand it correctly, the passengers in the plane can hear the sound twice. First at a 3 times higher frequency, and then (after they passed the source) a second time at normal frequency but backwards. None of the textbooks or web sites mention this backwards sound. Yet I am quite sure it must be there.

Am I correct? And if so, is it actually observed (e.g. By fighter pilots) and why do textbooks never mention this?

Best Answer

why do textbooks never mention this?

Because in order to travel at supersonic speeds, human beings must be enclosed in a rigid metal tube of some sort. Also, these metal tubes they ride in at those speeds generally tend to be insulated against noise from the outside.

As for trying to place some sort of microphone outside said metal tube, the propulsion system would risk drowning out any atmospherically transmitted noise (i.e. noise can be transmitted through the body of the structure).

Now, if you run the math, it still doesn't work quite like hearing it backwards (see the comment by eudoxos). Although you would encounter the soundwaves in "reverse" order, the shockwaves around you would disrupt anything around you as to make the notion of noise from them irrelevant.

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