A robotics based design activity to teach the Doppler effect

This paper presents a STEM design activity for use by primary and secondary school teachers to effectively teach the Doppler effect to students. First, the phenomenon is presented in an intriguing way. Once the initial concept is grasped, we cover the science of what is happening by describing the concept and definition of frequency, wavelength, and velocity. Several applications are then presented as well as some supplemental concepts that may be studied in more advanced classes. Finally, the students are instructed to think creatively about how to set up an experiment that utilizes robotics technology to adequately demonstrate the fundamentals of the Doppler effect. The students are required to fulfill of several learning objectives during the design activity. The design activity was presented to several high school teachers in the Northeastern region of the United States who in turn conducted the activity in their classrooms.