Attenuation, Interaction of Sound and Media Flashcards
How can you determine the log of an even number that is a power of 10?
For even powers of 10 (100, 10,000) you can count the zeroes
Do decibels measure absolute or relative changes?
Relative changes
What does 3dB indicate?
Intensity is doubled
What does 10 dB indicate?
Intensity is increased ten-fold
What does -3 dB indicate?
Intensity is halved
What does -10 dB indicate?
Intensity is reduced to 1/10 the original value
What is attenuation?
Sound waves weakening as they propagate through a medium
What units are used to measure attenuation?
Decibels
Will attenuation be negative or positive?
Negative
How is distance related to attenuation?
Directly
The farther sound travels, the greater the attenuation
How is frequency related to attenuation?
Directly
The higher the frequency, the greater the attenuation
What are the three processes that contribute to attenuation?
Reflection
Scattering
Absorption
What is reflection?
When a portion of a sound wave is reflected back to the sound source after striking a boundary
What is specular reflection?
When sound is reflected off a smooth surface in only one direction in an organized manner
What is diffuse reflection?
When a wave reflects off an irregular surface in more than one direction
What is another term used to describe diffuse reflection?
Backscatter
What is the advantage of diffuse reflections?
The reflections at suboptimal angles will still produce reflections that come back to the transducer
What is the disadvantage of diffuse reflections?
The backscattered signals have a lower strength than specular
What is scattering?
The redirection of sound in many directions
What is a tissue that creates scattering?
Lung tissue
What is Rayleigh scattering?
Scattering that occurs when the dimensions of the structure are smaller than that of the wavelength
What is a structure that produces Rayleigh scattering?
Red blood cells