Get Free Study Materials

Home » Daily Current Affairs For UPSC 2025 » Speed Gun

Speed Gun, Applications and Working Process

The principle behind the working of a speed gun, used for motion tracking.

Sakshi Gupta Published On December 24th, 2024 Leave a comment

About Speed Gun

It is a device to measure the speed of a moving object without having to be in contact with the object.
It uses electromagnetic radiation, typically radio waves, which bounce off the object to calculate its speed using the Doppler effect.

Applications

Traffic monitoring by law enforcement.
Sports for tracking athlete performance.
Industrial uses requiring precise motion tracking.

How did Speed Guns work?

Speed guns emit radio waves, which are reflected by the moving object.
The frequency difference between the emitted and reflected waves is used to determine the speed of the object.
The speed is calculated using the formula: (frequency difference * speed of light) / (2 * emitted frequency).
The speed of light in a medium is constant, allowing for accurate speed measurement over long distances.

Doppler Effect

It refers to the change in frequency of waves due to the relative motion between the source and the observer.
As a moving object approaches, the frequency of waves (like sound or light) increases, creating a higher pitch; as it moves away, the frequency decreases, resulting in a lower pitch.
E.g. A train horn sounds higher-pitched as it approaches a platform and lower-pitched as it moves away.

About the Author

Sakshi Gupta

Author

I, Sakshi Gupta, am a content writer to empower students aiming for UPSC, PSC, and other competitive exams. My objective is to provide clear, concise, and informative content that caters to your exam preparation needs. I strive to make my content not only informative but also engaging, keeping you motivated throughout your journey!

TOPICS:

Current affairs

IMPORTANT EXAMS

© Copyright 2025 StudyIQ