UNDERSTANDING ULTRASOUND PHYSICS EXAM REVIEW
NEWEST ACTUAL EXAM COMPLETE 500 QUESTIONS AND
CORRECT DETAILED ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) |ALREADY
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A particle within a transverse wave is traveling vertically. What is the direction of
the wave's propagation?
A. horizontal
B. vertical
C. diagonal; both horizontal and vertical
D. cannot be determined - Correct Answer-A. The particles within a transverse
wave travel in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of
the wave. If a transverse wave is traveling vertically, the particles in the wave are
traveling horizontally. A water wave is a primarily a transverse wave. The wave
propagates sideways along the surface of the water, while a ball floating on top of
the water moves up and down as the wave passes.
Waves that exist at the same location and time will combine. What is this called?
A. inference
B. rarefaction
C. interference
D. longitudinal interaction - Correct Answer-C. The combination of many waves
into a single wave is called interference.
Which of the following units are appropriate to describe the period of an acoustic
wave? (More than one answer may be correct.)
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, Understanding ultrasound physics Exam Review
A. minutes
B. microseconds
C. meters
D. mm/us E. cubic centimeters - Correct Answer-A and B. The period of a wave is
defined as the time that elapses as a wave oscillates through a single cycle. The
units for period must be a measure of time, such as minutes or seconds. A and B
are units of time. The incorrect selections C, D, and E are units of distance, speed,
and volume, respectively.
True or False? The sonographer has the ability to alter the period of an ultrasound
wave that is produced by a basic transducer. - Correct Answer-False. The
sonographer cannot adjust the period (or frequency) of a wave produced by a
basic transducer. Think of striking a key on a piano. The frequency of sound
created by striking a single key is constant. If the sound beam's frequency and
period are not suited for the particular type of imaging, the sonographer must
select a new transducer with a different frequency.
What term describes the number of cycles that an acoustic variable completes in a
second?
A. period
B. frequency
C. pulse repetition period
D. variable rate - Correct Answer-B. This is the definition of the term frequency.
Frequency can also be thought of as the number of regularly occurring events in a
specific time.
Which of the following cannot be considered a unit of frequency?
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, Understanding ultrasound physics Exam Review
A. per day
B. cycles/sec
C. Hz
D. hertz
E. cycles - Correct Answer-E. The term cycles informs us of the number of events,
but does not inform us of the duration of time required for those events to occur.
What is the range of frequencies emitted by transducers used in ultrasonic
imaging?
A. 1 to 3 MHz
B. 1 to 1,000 kHz
C. -10,000 to +10,000 Hz
D. 2,000,000 to 15,000,000 Hz - Correct Answer-D. Frequencies commonly used in
diagnostic imaging range from approximately 2 to 15 megahertz or 2 to 15 million
cycles per second.
What establishes the frequency of an ultrasound wave?
A. the transducer
B. the medium through which the sound travels
C. both A and B
D. neither choice A nor B - Correct Answer-A. When created by a transducer, an
ultrasound wave has a specific frequency. The frequency is not determined by the
medium through which the sound travels. Only the sound source (the transducer)
establishes the wave's frequency.
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, Understanding ultrasound physics Exam Review
True or False? With standard ultrasound pulses, the frequency of the ultrasound
changes significantly as the wave propagates through the body. - Correct Answer-
False. In diagnostic imaging, the frequency of the sound wave generally remains
constant and does not routinely change as the sound propagates through the
body. Slight changes in frequency occur when sound strikes moving structures.
This forms the basis for Doppler ultrasonography
When a sonographer increases the maximum imaging depth during an exam,
what happens to the frequency?
A. frequency increases
B. frequency decreases
C. remains unchanged - Correct Answer-C. Imaging depth and frequency are
unrelated. When the depth of view is increased, the frequency of sound remains
the same.
Ultrasound is defined as a sound with a frequency of ______
A. greater than 20,000 kHz
B. less than 1 kHz
C. greater than 10 MHz
D. greater than 0.02 MHz - Correct Answer-D. Ultrasound is defined as an acoustic
wave with a frequency so high that it is not audible to humans. Ultrasound is an
inaudible wave with a frequency of at least 20,000 Hz, 20 kHz or 0.02 MHz.
Infrasound is defined as a sound with frequency of _____
A. greater than 20,000 kHz
B. less than 20 Hz
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