Term Categories: Glossary

The relative reflectivity of a specific material, that is, the tendency to deflect sound energy in a specific medium rather than absorb it.

Intrinsic characteristics of any particular material that describe how sound travels through it. Such characteristics include the density, acoustic impedance, and sound velocity

The resistance of a material to the passage of sound waves. The value of this material property is the product of the material density and sound velocity. The acoustic impedance of a material determines how much sound will be transmitted and reflected when the wave encounters a boundary with another material. The larger the difference in acoustic impedance between two materials, the larger the amount of reflected energy will be.

A device that accelerates charged atomic particles to high energies. An x ray machine or a betatron is an accelerator

The taking up of energy from the medium through which it passes.

A data presentation method in which signal amplitude is plotted along the y-axis versus time on the x-axis. The horizontal distance between any two signals represents the material distance between the two conditions causing the signals. In a linear system, the vertical excursion is proportional to the amplitude of the signal