Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

Key Stage 5 Physics

Lesson Plan 4 Ultrasound
Lesson aim
To familiarise students with the function and workings of medical ultrasound scanners
by getting them to build their own very simple ultrasound device.

Lesson objectives
Students will be expected to:
Work in pairs to build an electronic device.
Use an oscilloscope and function generator.
Make suggestions about what would need to be done to increase the functionality
of the device.

Lesson Outcomes
By the end of this lesson:
All students must be able to understand the basic workings of an ultrasound
scanner.
Most students should be able to understand why ultrasound frequencies are
used in this function and how ultrasound scanners have to trade off resolution for
depth of scan.
Some students may be able to understand why clinical devices use a pulsed
emitter as opposed to a continuous wave emitter, as in the device they have built.
They will also understand how ultrasound scanners can use the Doppler Effect to
collect data on speed of blood flow etc.

Time Required
Approximately two hours for the construction, testing and presentation of results.

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

Specification links
Board

Unit
1

AQA
Physics A

AQA
Physics B
Edexcel
(concept approach)
Edexcel
(context approach)
OCR
Physics A
OCR
Physics B
(Advancing Physics)

2
3
5B
6
3
4
6
2
3
6
3
6
G482
G483
G485
G486
G492
G493
G496

Spec.
3.1.3 (use of an oscilloscope to display
waveforms)
3.2.3 (properties of waves, diffraction,
reflection, refraction)
Investigative and practical skills
B2.4 (ultrasound imaging)
Investigative and practical skills
Investigative and practical skills
3.4.3D (ultrasound imaging)
Investigative and practical skills
2.3 (properties of waves)
Exploring physics
Experimental physics
Exploring physics
Experimental physics
2.4.1 (wave equation)
Practical skills in physics
5.4.3 (ultrasound imaging)
Practical skills in physics
UP 1 (properties of waves, wave equation)
Physics in practice
Researching physics

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

Materials and equipment required

Per student

Resource Sheet 4.1 Medical Imaging

Resource Sheet 4.2 What is Ultrasound?

Resource Sheet 4.5 How does an Ultrasound Scanner Work?

Per pair of students

An oscilloscope

Ultrasound emitter

Ultrasound receiver

2 retort stands, bosses and clamps

Function generator capable of reaching the resonant frequency of the

ultrasound emitter being used

Crocodile clip patch leads

Opaque jelly block with an object hidden inside

A lump of modelling clay about the size of an apple

Several wooden kebab skewers 20 cm or longer

1 copy per student of:

o

Resource Sheet 2.3 Building a Simple Ultrasound Device

Resource Sheet 2.4 Testing Your Ultrasound Device

Note: All electronic components used in this activity are readily available. Specific
suppliers and part numbers are given in the Technician Notes at the end of this lesson
plan.

Prior knowledge required

Students should be aware of examples of ultrasound use in the natural world i.e.
dolphins, bats etc. They should also understand the principle of the Doppler Effect.
Students will also need to have knowledge of how waves are diffracted as they pass
through a small aperture or around a small object.

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

Lesson structure
Intro activity:
Get students to complete Resource Sheet 4.1 Medical Imaging. This will
encourage them to consider why different imaging modalities are used for
different clinical conditions.
Discuss what types of conditions students think ultrasonography might be most
appropriate for and why this is.
15 mins approx

Practical:
In this practical, students will build a simple ultrasound device, calculate its
theoretical resolving power and then carry out some experiments to test its
practical resolving power. They will also be asked to make an assessment as to
whether the particular scanner set up described in Resource Sheet 4.3 Building
a Simple Ultrasound Device and Resource Sheet 4.4 Testing Your Ultrasound
Device could be adapted for use in a clinical environment.
The practical is designed to deliver a set of specific subject related learning
outcomes and to also demonstrate the application of physics in a real-world
context, allowing students to learn about some aspects of the role of
ultrasonographers in the NHS.
Explain that in real life an ultrasonographer might be asked to evaluate new
ultrasound equipment but it is unlikely that they would actually be asked to
evaluate equipment at such an early stage in the design process. This would be
done by engineers employed by the company developing the machine. These
engineers would certainly include trained ultrasonographers.
Students can find out more about the work of ultrasonographers at
www.nhscareers.nhs.uk.
Issue the students with the following resource sheets:
o

Resource Sheet 4.2 What is Ultrasound?

Resource Sheet 4.3 Building a Simple Ultrasound Device

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

Resource Sheet 4.4 Testing Your Ultrasound Device

Once students have built their devices they will carry out a number of tests on
them. They will use the results of the tests to come to a series of general
conclusions about how scan resolution varies with frequency and whether the
particular scanner set up they have been asked to consider offers any
advantages over a standard ultrasound scanner currently in clinical use.
Key points that students need to consider here are:
o

In current ultrasound scanners the emitter and receiver are effectively

the same transducer which operates in a pulsed mode.

Modern ultrasound scanners use a gel medium between the

emitter/receiver and the subject to reduce reflection of sound waves at
the air/subject boundary.

Modern ultrasound scanners use timing information from sound

reflections at boundaries of different density materials. The version
students have built is claimed to be using diffraction to give information
about the size of different density materials.

Using a continuous wave scanner in a CT style set up would create

huge problems with the amount of unwanted reflections from parts of
the scanner, objects in the room etc. This does not occur with current
ultrasound scanners because of the use of the gel medium, the
proximity of the transducer to the body being scanned and the use of
acoustic lenses to focus the ultrasound beam.

The Doppler effect can also be used to provide information about the
speed of blood flow etc. This would not be possible with the continuous
wave set up suggested here.

A computer is necessary to convert the information contained in the

reflected sound into a useful visual representation. With modern
ultrasound scanners the computer receives timing information about
the echoes received by the transducer. It will also receive information
about the frequency of received echoes if it is operating in Doppler
mode. It is debatable as to whether even a very powerful computer
would be able to retrieve any meaningful information from the signals
detected from the scanner set up as suggested here.

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

At the end of the testing process students can present their assessments and
recommendations back to the rest of the group.
90 mins approx

Plenary activity:
Students can present their findings back to the group.
Presentations should be no more than 5 minutes in length and should show
clearly how the data collected from testing of the devices supports any
conclusion.
Once students have presented their ideas they can be given copies of Resource
Sheet 4.5 How does an Ultrasound Scanner Work?
They can then compare their ideas for improvement with the workings of a real
ultrasound scanner.
It will be important to ensure that students are aware of the necessary
compromise between resolution and depth of scan i.e. increasing frequency
increases resolution but reduces depth of scan. They should also be aware that
trying to increase depth of scan by increasing the power of the transmitter can
lead to damage to body tissues by the formation of cavitation bubbles inside cells
and organs.
50 mins approx

Extension/Homework
If time allows, students could be given a number of different transducers,
operating over a range of frequencies spanning audible sound and ultrasound.
They could then carry out the same experiment at a larger number of different
frequencies and use this information to plot a simple graph to show the
relationship between frequency and resolution of scan.
Students could also build simple acoustic lenses from balloons filled with CO2 and
see if these can improve the performance of their device.

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

Risk assessment
It is the responsibility of the supervising teacher to carry out all risk assessments with
regard to this activity and to make sure that any such risk assessment complies with
the requirements of the particular institution in which it is being conducted.

Answers to Resource Sheet 4.1 Medical Imaging

The numbers in the table below refer to the relative positioning of the correct answers
in the three columns.
Imaging Technique
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Description
7
6
5
1
3
4
2

Condition
2
6
7
5
1
3
4

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

Technician Notes
Preparation
Please read Resource Sheet 4.3 Building a Simple Ultrasound Device and
Resource Sheet 4.4 Testing Your Ultrasound Device.
Each pair of students will require the following:

An oscilloscope

Ultrasound emitter

Ultrasound receiver

2 retort stands, bosses and clamps

Function generator capable of reaching the resonant frequency of the

ultrasound emitter being used

Crocodile clip patch leads

Opaque jelly block with an object hidden inside

A lump of modelling clay about the size of an apple

Several wooden kebab skewers 20 cm or longer

Prior to the lesson it will be useful to do the following:

Make up a set of opaque jelly blocks with dimensions roughly as in the diagram
below. There should be enough blocks to allow one per pair of students. Each
block should have a solid, roughly spherical object, about 4 cm in diameter,
embedded in it. This could be a plum, ball of modelling clay etc.

Science at Work in Healthcare

Post 16 Science Education Pack

The item to be embedded in the jelly block should be suspended with a piece of
cotton while the jelly sets so that it does not make contact with the outer surfaces
of the jelly.

Sourcing the Parts

All of the parts necessary for this lesson are readily available from electronic
components suppliers. For convenience, the table below gives part numbers for
Maplin Electronics. It is possible to source the same or equivalent components from
other suppliers.

Component
Ultrasonic
transducer

Supplier

Supplier website

Maplin
Electronics

www.maplin.co.uk

Part No.
HY12N

Amount required
per device
1 set (contains
transmitter and
receiver)

If time allows, the experiment can be repeated using audible sound generated by
piezoelectric transducers. This will require two transducers per pair of students, one
to act as the transmitter and one the receiver.