PHY138 – Waves, Lecture 4 Today’s overview Sound and Light Power and Intensity The Doppler Effect Medical Applications of Ultrasound
Reading Assignment Next week’s reading is Knight Chapter 21, Sections 21.1 – 21.8. There is a pre-class quiz on www.masteringphysics.com for this material due on Monday morning. A www.masteringphysics.com Problem Set on Chapter 20 is due on Friday at 5:00PM.
Sound and Light Sound is a pressure wave in a gas, liquid or solid. Speed depends on material. Light is one type of electromagnetic wave. In a vacuum, all electromagnetic waves (including light) travel at c = 3×108 m/s. In transparent media, light slows down. Index of Refraction is n > 1. This reduces the wavelength, but does not change the frequency!
Reflection of Transverse Wave Pulse (Chapter 21 concept.) A pulse traveling to the right on a heavy string attached to a lighter string Speed suddenly increases
Reflection of Transverse Wave Pulse A pulse traveling to the right on a light string attached to a heavier string Speed suddenly decreases
Physics of Ultrasound Speed of sound in bone, flesh and blood are all different When the speed of any wave suddenly changes, there is a reflection and transmission Ultrasound images are formed from reflected high frequency sound Image resolution is set by wavelength, λ λ=v/f, so higher frequency yields smaller λ, and better resolution
Speed of sound in humans Tissue Sound Speed (m/s) Air 350 Fat 1450 Brain 1540 Blood 1570 Bone 4080 Muscle 1585
Power and Intensity The Power, P, of any wave source is how much energy per second is radiated as waves [units = Watts] The Intensity, I, is the energy rate per area. This determines how loud (sound) or bright (light) the wave is. I=P/a, where a is an area perpendicular to the wave direction. At a distance r from a small source, the intensity is I=P/(4πr2)
Doppler Effect