Biophysics

G109
First Lecture
Sound in
Medicine
 General Properties of Sound:

Reflection of Sound Waves

Objectives The Stethoscope

Ultrasound Pictures of the Body

The Doppler Effect

 Sound waves, according to their
frequencies can be classified into the
following

Infrasound:
General
Properties of
Sound Audible sound:

Ultrasound:
 refers to sound frequencies below the
normal hearing range, that is, loss than 20
Hz.

It is produced by natural phenomena like

earthquake waves and atmospheric
pressure changes.
Infrasound:
it can also be produced by a ventilator
system.

These frequencies cannot be heard, but

they can cause headaches and
physiological disturbances.
Audible sound:

• refers to sound frequencies between 20

Hz to 20,000 Hz.
 refers to sound frequencies
above 20,000 Hz or 20 kHz.

Ultrasound should not be

Ultrasound: confused with supersonic.

Supersonic refers to velocities

faster than velocity of sound in a
medium
 is a mechanical disturbance in a gas, liquid or solid

it travels outward from the source with some definite velocity.

the sound vibrations in air cause local increases and decreases in pressure
relative to the atmospheric pressure (Figure 1).

Sound wave the increases in pressure, called compressions and pressure decreases, called
rarefactions

spread outward as a longitudinal wave.

The relation between the frequency of vibration (f) of the sound (number of
complete vibrations in unit time), the wavelength (λ) and the velocity (v) of
the sound wave is:

V = λ f = λ/T
Schematic representation of a
sound wave from a
loudspeaker. (a) A diaphragm
vibrates at a frequency f and
produces compressions
(increased in pressure) and
rarefactions (decreased in
pressure) in air

Figure (1)
The intensity (I) of a sound wave
• is the energy passing through unit area in unit time,
• I = [energy] / [area . time] = [power] / [area] in W/m2
• For a plane wave, I is given by:
• I = ½ ρ v A2 (2πf)2 = ½ ρ v A2 ω2 I = ½ Z A2 ω2 (3-2)
• where ρ is the density of the medium,
• v is the velocity of sound,
• f is the frequency,
• ω is the angular frequency (= 2πf),
• A is the amplitude of the wave or the maximum displacement of the molecule
from the equilibrium position,
• Z (= ρ v) is the acoustic impedance of the medium.
The intensity (I) of a sound
wave

The intensity can also be

expressed as:
I=P°2/2Z

where Po is the maximum acoustic

pressure