A car makes sound as it moves toward a stationary observer. What best describes the sound wave heard by the observer compared with the sound heard by the car’s driver?

As the car moves toward the observer, each new sound wave is emitted from a position closer to the observer than the previous one. This compresses the waves ahead of the car, so the observer hears a shorter wavelength and a higher frequency than the driver does. The sound travels at the same speed through the air, and the relationship speed = frequency × wavelength means a shorter wavelength corresponds to a higher frequency.

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