Many medical imaging techniques are based on underlying physics principles, from classical physics to modern physics concepts such as quantum mechanics. Here is a number you may know of.
Ultrasound
Using very high frequency sound waves, ultrasound has the ability to safely examine soft tissue
1. Ultrasound and acoustic impedance
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An intro to ultrasound (sonograms) and the underlying factor (acoustic impedance) that determines how an image is formed. |
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2. Piezzoelectric effect
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How do ultrasound generate and pick up frequencies that are up to 2-3 MHz? |
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3. The ultrasound A scan
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Reviews how an A amplitude (A) scan is produced in the context of ultrasound/sonograms
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4. The B scan
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Reviews how an A brightness (B) scan is produced in the context of ultrasound/sonograms
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Using high energy EMR
5. Xrays explained
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A lesson on X-rays, and how they are produced. I cover the Bremsstrahlung effect and the difference between hard and soft x-rays
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xray vs bone scan
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One of my students asked me to quickly review a bone scan with an X-ray image. Here is a quick video I produced
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s6. How CT scans work
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CAT or CT scans are used to achieve high resolution images inside the body. But how do they work? Watch the video to find out |
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There are a number of ways we can explore this concepts further.
One aspect of most high school physics course on kinematics, is that they only concern themselves with constant acceleration. In reality however, acceleration, like displacement and velocity, can chance with respect to time.
Velocity is the rate of change of displacement. Unit: m/s2
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
So what is the rate of change of acceleration?
The answer to that is the jerk. So slope of the acceleration vs time graph is the jerk. Unit: m/s3
We can go further.
What is the rate of change of the jerk?
Well it's the snap. Unit: m/s4
Can we go further? Yep. The rate of change of snap is the crackle. Unit: m/s5
I think you can guess the next one.
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- pHET graphing animation - this interactive from the University of Colorado pHet team is a great way to demonstrate the relationship between motion and its graphical analysis. That why I used it in my video. At this time its Java based so will only work on PC/Mac
7. The PET scan, how it works
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In this video, I discuss Positron Emission Tomography. In particular, I refer to the source of the positron, its annihilation and how the resultant gamma rays are collected. I also briefly discuss its diagnostic benefits. |
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8. MRI scan.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) involves a complex process involving the nature of nuclear at the quantum level, the use of radioactive waves, and an understanding of resonance.
Rather than cover the physics in one lesson, they have been broken up to 5 parts to clarify understanding.
Rather than cover the physics in one lesson, they have been broken up to 5 parts to clarify understanding.
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