2 answers
Jazmin
Student
Yuma, Arizona
3
Questions
2 answers
Joseph Neilson
Radiation Detection Physicist
218
Answers
Oxford, England, United Kingdom
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
Most kinds of test and scan are built around some principle of physics - things like xrays/CT, MRI, ultrasound - they all rely on physics to work.
Ultrasound uses high frequency sounds, and measures how the sound waves reflect, refract, and Doppler frequency shift as they go through different refractive index materials, and allows you to get information about what's inside. It's sometimes used in industrial settings to examine the inside of metalwork and welding, but I imagine you're thinking about a medical use where it's used to look inside the body and see the shapes of body tissue to diagnose internal organs, and particularly to provide images of unborn babies.
You're probably thinking something like "but I just want to use the device to look at baby - obviously I need to understand the biology of baby development, but why do I also need to understand the physics of how it works?"
I can think of a couple of reasons:
Firstly, patients and parents are often worried and have lots of questions. That might be as simple as "so how does it work, doc?" which you need an answer for; but another common question you'll be asked is about the dangers of scans - people know about the radiation risks of scans like x-rays (which are generally small risks, but are important to avoid for a growing baby) - they want to know what the risks of ultrasound are. You need to know enough about physics to be able to explain how x-rays use ionising radiation that can cause damage, and how that's different to the sound waves in an ultrasound scan.
Secondly, bodies are complicated and there sound waves bouncing off all kinds of different materials and tissues, so it's not as simple as the scanner giving you a perfect image to read from. The physics of how the sound travels can cause all sorts of distortions that you need to understand - things like "this line doesn't mean the baby's grown an extra arm - it's just sound refracting off gas in your bowel" or "baby just shrunk?!" - "no, just the sound took longer to reflect because the position of the scanner changed"
Ultrasound uses high frequency sounds, and measures how the sound waves reflect, refract, and Doppler frequency shift as they go through different refractive index materials, and allows you to get information about what's inside. It's sometimes used in industrial settings to examine the inside of metalwork and welding, but I imagine you're thinking about a medical use where it's used to look inside the body and see the shapes of body tissue to diagnose internal organs, and particularly to provide images of unborn babies.
You're probably thinking something like "but I just want to use the device to look at baby - obviously I need to understand the biology of baby development, but why do I also need to understand the physics of how it works?"
I can think of a couple of reasons:
Firstly, patients and parents are often worried and have lots of questions. That might be as simple as "so how does it work, doc?" which you need an answer for; but another common question you'll be asked is about the dangers of scans - people know about the radiation risks of scans like x-rays (which are generally small risks, but are important to avoid for a growing baby) - they want to know what the risks of ultrasound are. You need to know enough about physics to be able to explain how x-rays use ionising radiation that can cause damage, and how that's different to the sound waves in an ultrasound scan.
Secondly, bodies are complicated and there sound waves bouncing off all kinds of different materials and tissues, so it's not as simple as the scanner giving you a perfect image to read from. The physics of how the sound travels can cause all sorts of distortions that you need to understand - things like "this line doesn't mean the baby's grown an extra arm - it's just sound refracting off gas in your bowel" or "baby just shrunk?!" - "no, just the sound took longer to reflect because the position of the scanner changed"
Andrew Au
Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Retired
175
Answers
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Based on Cleveland Clinic’s description, ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging test that shows structures inside your body using high-intensity sound waves. Healthcare providers use ultrasound exams for several purposes, including during pregnancy, for diagnosing conditions and for image guidance during certain procedures.
Soundwave is a natural phenomenon. The physical properties of soundwave can be described by physical laws. Hence, physics is involved in ultrasound.
Soundwave is a natural phenomenon. The physical properties of soundwave can be described by physical laws. Hence, physics is involved in ultrasound.