Ultrasound Physics - Basics and Metric System

Vocabulary flashcards covering mathematical relationships, measurement units, metric prefixes, conversion principles, scientific notation, and basic ultrasound acoustic properties.

Unrelated

A relationship between two items where there is no association or connection between them.

Directly Related

A relationship between two items where an increase in one causes a proportionate increase in the other, and a decrease in one causes a decrease in the other.

Inverse Relationship

A relationship between two items where one item increases while the other item decreases.

Reciprocal Relationship

A special form of inverse relationship where two terms multiplied together equal $1$.

Units

Standards that define a numerical value, without which the numerical information is meaningless.

Length

A measurement of distance or circumference with units such as inches, yards, centimeters, or miles.

Area

A measurement of surface defined as length squared, with units such as square feet or $\text{cm}^2$.

Volume

A measurement defined as length cubed, with units such as $\text{ft}^3$, cc, or $\text{cm}^3$ (where $1\,\text{mL} = 1\,\text{cc} = 1\,\text{cm}^3$).

giga- (G)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^9$ or $1,000,000,000$.

mega- (M)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^6$ or $1,000,000$.

kilo- (k)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^3$ or $1,000$.

hecto- (h)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^2$ or $100$.

deca- (da)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^1$ or $10$.

deci- (d)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^{-1}$ or $0.1$.

centi- (c)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^{-2}$ or $0.01$.

milli- (m)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^{-3}$ or $0.001$.

micro- (\mu)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^{-6}$ or $0.000001$.

nano- (n)

Metric prefix denoting a multiplication factor of $10^{-9}$ or $0.000000001$.

Scientific Notation

A system of writing numbers by moving the decimal place to create a value greater than or equal to $1$ and less than $10$, multiplied by $10$ raised to an exponent.

Average Speed of Sound in Soft Tissue

The propagation speed of sound in soft tissue, which is equal to $1.54\,\text{km/s}$, $1,540\,\text{m/s}$, or $1.54\,\text{mm/}\mu\text{s}$.