Ultrasound is commonly used to assess the development of a fetus within the womb

Question

Ultrasound is commonly used to assess the development of a fetus within the womb of an expectant mother. In such an examination, an 8 MHz ultrasonic beam is focused on the abdomen, emitting ultrasonic waves that propagate through the abdomen and reflect from the wall of the fetal heart, which is moving toward the ultrasonic receiver as the heart beats. The reflected sound is then mixed with the transmitted sound wave, resulting in a Doppler-shifted frequency (a beat frequency) by 10 kHz. The speed of sound in body tissue is 1500 m/s. Determine the speed of the fetal heart wall.

Explanation / Answer

Speed of the fetal heart wall v = [fbeat / 2 f0 + fbeat] * v

= [10 * 103 / (2 * 8 * 106) + 10 * 103] * 1500

v = 0.94 m/s

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