If the frequency of the ultrasound increases, what happens to the wavelength?

When the frequency of ultrasound increases, the wavelength decreases due to the inverse relationship between frequency and wavelength, as described by the equation:

[ \text{Wavelength} = \frac{\text{Velocity}}{\text{Frequency}} ]

In this equation, velocity refers to the speed of sound in the medium, which typically remains constant for a specific medium (like human tissue). When the frequency increases, since the speed of sound doesn't change, the wavelength must decrease in order to maintain the equation's balance.

For example, if you consider an ultrasound signal transmitted at different frequencies, a higher frequency signal has shorter wavelengths compared to a lower frequency signal. This principle is fundamental in ultrasound imaging because higher frequencies provide better resolution but penetrate less deeply into tissues due to their shorter wavelengths. Thus, understanding this relationship is essential for optimizing ultrasound imaging parameters.