If you have ever watched a World War II movie, you may have heard the frightenin

Question

If you have ever watched a World War II movie, you may have heard the frightening sound made by a German Stuka dive bomber as it dove straight down toward its target on the ground during a bombing run. This falling sound, which may be approximated in writing as "eeeeaaaaoooowwww", was produced by a single-note siren attached to each bomber as an instrument of psychological terror by the Luftwaffe. However, a GI who was knowledgeable about physics would actually have been much more frightened to hear an unvarying high-pitched "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" during the plane's vertical dive. Why is this? (Note: acceleration due to gravity will not be a factor in your explanation. The plane is diving at its propeller-driven terminal velocity.)

Explanation / Answer

If the Doppler shift is constant, the aircraft is moving either straight at or straight away from you. If the Doppler is changing, the aircraft is not moving directly toward/away from you and that's safer for you. The aircraft can aim its machine guns straight at you if it's moving straight at you. Sounds like your teacher is trying to simulate the doppler effect. I assume the ....wwwww is the decreasing tone as the Stuka pulls out of the dive and is flying away.

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