______ is the distance covered by one cycle.

______ is the distance covered by one cycle.

• A. Pulse Length
• B. Wavelength
• C. Cycle Distance
• D. Cycle Duration

Answer: (B)

The distance covered by one cycle is the wavelength. A cycle is one complete oscillation of the wave, and as the wave propagates, that cycle occupies a specific spatial length along the direction of travel—the wavelength. The wavelength depends on the speed of sound in the medium and the frequency: λ = c / f. So, in a given tissue, higher frequency yields a shorter wavelength, while faster sound yields a longer one. This concept is central to understanding how ultrasound imagery resolves detail along the axis. Pulse length refers to how long the transmitted pulse lasts (in time) and can contain multiple cycles, so it’s not the distance of a single cycle. Cycle duration is the time for one cycle (the period, T = 1/f), not a distance. The chosen term for the distance per cycle is the wavelength.

The distance covered by one cycle is the wavelength. A cycle is one complete oscillation of the wave, and as the wave propagates, that cycle occupies a specific spatial length along the direction of travel—the wavelength. The wavelength depends on the speed of sound in the medium and the frequency: λ = c / f. So, in a given tissue, higher frequency yields a shorter wavelength, while faster sound yields a longer one. This concept is central to understanding how ultrasound imagery resolves detail along the axis.

Pulse length refers to how long the transmitted pulse lasts (in time) and can contain multiple cycles, so it’s not the distance of a single cycle. Cycle duration is the time for one cycle (the period, T = 1/f), not a distance. The chosen term for the distance per cycle is the wavelength.