Question

Which property of sound waves acts like the principle of ultrasound?

• A. ( \text{Reflection and Refraction} ) \
• B. ( \text{Reflection only} ) \
• C. ( \text{Refraction only} ) \
• D. ( \text{Propagation} ) \

Hint:

Ultrasound imaging fundamentally relies on the echoes created when sound waves encounter boundaries between tissues of different acoustic impedances (reflection). However, the path and quality of these waves are also influenced by their bending as they cross these boundaries (refraction).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Ultrasound imaging works on the principle of sound waves interacting with tissues in the body.
Reflection: This is the primary principle of ultrasound.
When sound waves encounter an interface between two different tissues (e.
g., muscle and bone, or blood and vessel wall), a portion of the sound wave is reflected back to the transducer.
The time it takes for the echo to return and the strength of the echo are used to create an image of the structures.
This is analogous to how a bat uses echolocation.Refraction: While reflection is dominant for image formation, refraction (the bending of sound waves as they pass from one medium to another with a different speed of sound) also occurs.
Refraction can sometimes cause artifacts in ultrasound images, but it is an inherent physical property of sound waves interacting with different media and plays a role in how sound propagates through complex biological tissues.
Propagation refers to the general movement of sound waves through a medium.
While essential, it's not the specific principle that allows for imaging.
Therefore, both reflection and refraction are properties of sound waves that are relevant to the principle of ultrasound, with reflection being the most critical for image generation.