Ultrasound
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what ultrasound is and explain its properties, and also describe some uses of ultrasound.
Key learning points
- Sound waves of frequency below 20 Hz usually cannot be heard by humans, so are called infrasound.
- Sound waves of frequency above 20 000 Hz usually cannot be heard by humans, so are called ultrasound.
- Ultrasound waves can cause objects to vibrate, so transfer energy. They do not cause harm to the human body.
- Ultrasound can be used to image structures inside the body as it reflects from boundaries between tissues.
- Ultrasound vibrations can clean delicate objects and can help to treat injuries and illnesses in physiotherapy.
Keywords
Sound wave - a ‘pulse’ that travels through a material, caused by forward and backward vibrations of particles
Frequency - the number of vibrations each second
Ultrasound - sound waves with a frequency above 20 000 Hz, that cannot be detected by human ears
Tissue - a group of living cells that are similar and perform a specific function
Common misconception
Ultrasound may be harmful to the human body (similar to X–rays).
Ultrasound is essentially the same thing as sound (longitudinal waves). It consists of vibrations of matter, rather than an additional entity or 'ray' that interacts strongly with matter. Compare sound of 19 999 Hz with ultrasound of 20 001 Hz.
Teacher tip
Video clips showing each of the example uses of ultrasound can be found online by searching for ultrasound scans, ultrasonic cleaning and ultrasound physiotherapy.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of the following are transferred by a sound wave?
Q2.When a material allows a wave to travel through it, we say that the material __________ the wave.
Q3.Which of the following is the frequency of a wave?
Q4.Which of the following is the unit of frequency?
Q5.Which of the following statements about ultrasound waves is correct?
Q6.Match each of the following parts of the human ear with its function.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Ultrasound means sound waves with frequencies above…
Q2.How many of the following materials can ultrasound waves travel through? air, water, soft tissue in the body.
Q3.Which of the following explains why humans cannot hear ultrasound?
Q4.Which of the following increases the rate of energy transfer by a sound wave or ultrasound wave?
Q5.Which of the following describes how ultrasound can be useful in physiotherapy?
Q6.Which of the following statements explain why ultrasound can be used to look inside the human body?
To help you plan your 9 science lesson on: Ultrasound, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 science lesson on: Ultrasound, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 science lessons from the Waves unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.