Teaching Doppler Effect with a passing noise source

The noise pitch variation of a passing noise source allows a low cost experimental approach to calculate speed and, for the first time, distance. We adjusted the recorded noise pitch variation to the Doppler shift equation for sound. We did this by taking into account the frequency delay due to the sound source displacement and performing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the noise signal using free software. This experimental method was successfully applied to aircraft and automobiles.