In many cartoon shows, a character runs off a cliff, realizes his predicament, and lets out a scream. he continues to scream as he falls. if the physical situation is portrayed correctly, from the vantage point of an observer at the top of the cliff leaning over the edge, the pitch of the scream as he falls should be a) higher than the original pitch and constant. b) higher than the original pitch and increasing as he falls. c) lower than the original pitch and constant. d) lower than the original pitch and decreasing as he falls. e) it is impossible to predict

The right answer is D) : The pitch of the scream as he falls should be lower than the original pitch and decreasing as he falls.

Explanation:

This situation is mainly explained with the use of the doppler effect. The character is falling accelerated by gravity. That means that from the observer, the character is getting further away at an increasing speed at every moment. Therefore the wavelength will increase with time. Because of that, if the air is not affected by anything (ν = CTE) and the wavelength increase, the frequency decrease. That implies the pitch of the scream is lower and decreasing as he falls.