Ultrasound is an important feature of the technology used in our world today. The medical world uses ultrasound and X-rays on a daily basis. Ultrasound is a high-frequency sound wave and also produces sound waves that are radiated into the body causing return echoes that are recorded to visualize the structures under the skin. There are thousands of different types of ultrasound, and they help doctors and patients see specific diseases and conditions that they might not otherwise see. However, although ultrasound benefits people, many wonder whether it can also have negative effects. Many wonder how ultrasound really works. Ultrasound is actually more complex than it seems. First, the ultrasound machine transmits high-frequency sound pulses into your body using a probe, then the sound waves travel into your body and hit the border between tissues (Freudenrich, 2011). An example of this would be between fluid and soft tissue and soft tissue and bone. Next, some of the sound waves are reflected back towards the probe, while some travel further until they reach another boundary and are reflected, the reflected waves are then collected by the probe and transmitted to the machine. The machine calculates the distance from the probe to the tissue or organ using the speed of sound in the tissue and the return time of each echo. Finally, the machine displays the distances and intensities of the echoes on the screen, forming a two-dimensional image like the one shown below (Freudenrich, 2011). Ultrasound has been a part of the medical world since the 1940s. The effects of acoustic vibrations on the body were studied as early as the 6th century. Then, ultrasound gained widespread acceptance as a therapeutic treatment... middle of paper..., and as technology improved, machines became smaller, portable, and available for use at the patient's bedside. Anonymous References. "A Brief Introduction to Ultrasound Therapy." (2011). Network. February 26, 2015. http://www.ultroz.com/historyAljaboua, Z. “Effect of Ultrasound on Biological Tissue.” (2008). Network. 26 February 2015. http://cnx.org/content/m16192/latest/Bellis. Mary. The history of ultrasound (2011). Network. February 26, 2015. http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blultrasound.htmCunningham, G. Ultrasound: Sonogram. (2011). Network. February 26, 2015. http://americanpregnancy.org/prenatal-testing/ultrasound/Freudenrich, C. How ultrasound works. (2011). Network. February 26, 2015.http://science.howstuffworks.com/ultrasound4.htmShiel, W. Ultrasound. (2011). Network. February 26, 2015.http://www.medicinenet.com/ultrasound/page2.htm