fbpx

KidsKonnect

Christian Doppler Facts & Worksheets

Christian Doppler was an Austrian physicist who first described how the relative motion of the source and the detector affects the observed frequency of light and sound waves.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /People /Figures /Christian Doppler Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Christian Doppler Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Christian Doppler was an Austrian physicist who first described how the relative motion of the source and the detector affects the observed frequency of light and sound waves. It later became known as the Doppler effect. He used this concept to explain the color of binary stars.

See the fact file below for more information on the Christian Doppler or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Christian Doppler worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE

  • Christian Andreas Doppler was born on November 29, 1803 in Salzburg, known today as Austria.
  • He was born into a stonemason family and was expected to join the family business but could not do so due to poor health.
  • He pursued academic interests instead. He studied physics at the Vienna Institute of Polytechnics, and graduated in 1825. He then moved on to study mathematics, mechanics, and astronomy at the University of Vienna.
  • In 1835, he started to work at the Prague Polytechnic, where he was assigned to work in 1841.

THE DOPPLER EFFECT

  • Doppler’s earliest writings were on mathematics. During his academic career, he published well over 50 papers on topics including physics and astronomy.
  • In 1842, at the age of 38, he published Über das farbige Licht der Doppelsterne (“Concerning the Colored Light of Double Stars”), which contained his first statement of the Doppler effect.
  • He theorized that since the pitch of sound from a moving source varied for a stationary observer, according to the velocity of the star relative to the Earth, the color of the light from a star should change.
  • The following is an example of the Doppler effect: as one approaches a blowing horn, the perceived pitch is higher until reaching the horn and then lowers as the horn passes.
  • Likewise, the light from a star observed from the Earth shifts towards the red end of the spectrum (less frequency or longer wavelength) when the Earth and the star recede from each other and towards the violet (higher frequency or shorter wavelength) when they approach each other.
  • The Doppler effect is used to study star motion and to look for double stars, and is an important part of the universe’s scientific theories. The total Doppler effect may therefore result from motion of the source, motion of the observer, or motion of the medium.

APPLICATION

  • Astronomy. The Doppler effect is of great use in astronomy for electromagnetic waves such as light and results in either a so-called redshift or blueshift. It is used to measure the speed at which stars and galaxies approach or recede from us; in other words, their radial velocities.
  • Blueshift is when visible light is shifted toward higher frequencies or toward the blue end of the spectrum, while redshift is when light is shifted toward lower frequencies or toward the red end of the spectrum.
  • Radar. In some radar types the Doppler effect is used to measure the speed of detected objects. A radar beam is fired at a moving target as it approaches or recedes from the radar source, e.g. a motor car, as the police use radar to detect speeding motorists. Until being reflected and re-detected near the source, each successive radar wave has to travel further to reach the vehicle.
  • Medical. Within certain limits, an echocardiogram can produce an accurate assessment of blood flow direction and blood and cardiac tissue velocity at any arbitrary point using the Doppler effect. One limitation is that the ultrasonic beam will be as parallel as possible with the blood flow. Velocity measurements allow assessment of cardiac valve areas and function of each side of the heart.

LATER CAREER AND DEATH

  • Doppler continued working as a professor at the Prague Polytechnic, publishing over 50 articles on mathematics, physics, and astronomy.
  • In 1847 Doppler moved to Schemnitz, Germany, where he taught physics, mathematics, and mechanics at the Mines and Forests Academy.
  • Political disruptions forced the Doppler family to move again, this time to the University of Vienna, where Doppler was appointed as Physical Institute director.
  • While he was in Vienna, Doppler, along with Franz Unger, influenced the young Gregor Mendel’s development, the founding father of genetics, who was a student at the University of Vienna from 1851 to 1853.
  • By the time Doppler was appointed to his post at Vienna University, his health had started to deteriorate even further. He suffered from chest pain and respiratory difficulties, signs which would most likely have related to a diagnosis of tuberculosis today.
  • He traveled to Venice, Italy in 1852, seeking a better climate in which to recover but his health continued to fail. He died of pulmonary disease on March 17, 1853, with his wife by his side.
  • Christian Doppler left a significant scientific legacy. The Doppler effect has been used to advance research in astronomy, to improve technologies for medical imaging, and much more.

Christian Doppler Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Christian Doppler across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Christian Doppler worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Christian Doppler who was an Austrian physicist who first described how the relative motion of the source and the detector affects the observed frequency of light and sound waves. It later became known as the Doppler effect. He used this concept to explain the color of binary stars.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Christian Doppler Facts
  • Biographical Profile
  • Names in History
  • Letter Clues
  • The Doppler Effect
  • D.E. Apply
  • Word Scrabble
  • Redshift Vs Blueshift
  • Make it True
  • Words for an Essay
  • Acrostic Poem

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Christian Doppler Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 3, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources