SP4f – Ultrasound - Worksheet

1. For most of the Atlantic Ocean, a sonar pulse would take around 6.52 seconds to travel
down to the seabed and return to the ship. Speed of sound in see water is 1533 m/s
Calculate the depth to two significant figures.

2. Ultrasound waves can be used for scanning an unborn baby.

a) i) What is ultrasound?
(1)
ii) Explain how the ultrasound produces an image of the baby. (2)

iii) Give another use for ultrasonic waves. (1)

b) Narrow beams of ultrasound can be produced because they have much shorter wavelengths
than normal sound. Ultrasound of frequency 6 MHz travels at a speed of 1,500 m/s through
the body. Recall an equation to calculate the wavelength of the ultrasound waves. (3)

c) Ultrasound can be used in industry for detecting internal cracks in metals. (2)
State two features of ultrasound.

3. Ultrasound can be used to measure the thickness of materials as they are manufactured.
a) How does the machine detect the thickness of the material?

b) When polythene is the correct thickness, the machine detects

an echo after 1.2 μs. The speed of sound in polythene is 2500 m/s.
What is the correct thickness for the polythene?
c) The machine can also be used to measure steel plate. Sound travels in steel at 5900 m/s, and the steel
should be 6 mm thick. (6 mm = 6 × 10-3 m)
How long should it take for an echo to return if the steel is the correct thickness?
Give the answer in microseconds.

4.