Ultrasound waves are created at harmonics of the delivered frequency. Subharmonic imaging uses the harmonic oscillation of a system at a frequency that is a simple fraction of its fundamental frequency. The subharmonic response frequencies has half of the fundamental frequency. The second subharmonic has a half fundamental frequency of one half the frequency, and so on.

See also Harmonic Imaging and Superharmonic Imaging.

The international system for units.
Le Systeme international d'Unites officially came into being in October 1960 and has been adopted by nearly all countries, though the amount of actual usage varies considerably.
It is based upon 7 principal units:
Length - meter (m)
Mass - kilogram(kg)
Time - second (s)
Electric current - ampere (A)
Temperature - Kelvin (K)
Amount of substance - mole (mol)
Luminous intensity - candela (cd)
From these basic units many other units are derived and named.

See also Ultrasound Physics.

Transducers can be divided in:
1.) Transducers where the sound wave is transmitted and received by different elements.
2.) Transducers where multiple elements part of the time transmit and part of the time receive sound energy.
The first type of ultrasound transducer is used in detection of blood flow (also called nonimaging transducers). For example, the continuous wave transducer (Pedoff transducer) has two separate elements, where one element is always transmitting while the other element is always receiving.
Probes of the second type are used to image cardiac structures and have the capability to use various Doppler techniques to detect blood flow (also called imaging transducers). For example, continuous wave, pulsed wave, high pulse repetition frequency, color flow, M-mode, and 2D-mode are the various modes that this type of transducer can perform.

Transducers can also be divided in mechanical and electronic or phased scan types.
Mechanical transducers use a combination of single element oscillation, multiple element rotation, or a single element and set of acoustic mirrors to generate the sweeping beam for 2D mode. Caused by the vibration (created as the mirrors rotate or oscillate inside the cover) is this type sometimes called the 'wobbler'. Mechanical transducers are cheaper than electronic transducers.
Different types of electronic or phased array probes can create a linear or rectangular shaped scan plane as well as a sector or pie shaped scan plane. Sector scanners are most useful for cardiac ultrasound examinations where the beam is directed between the ribs to image the heart. A linear array transducer is more useful in abdominal, OB/GYN, and small parts examinations. Electronic transducers are more expensive but they provide dynamic focusing and smaller probe.

See also Rectangular Array Transducer.

(W) The SI unit of power.
Definition: 1 watt is equal to a power rate of one joule of work per second of time or in electrical terms it is the power produced by a current of one ampere flowing through an electric potential of one volt.
Power is the rate at which work is done, or the rate at which energy is expended and is used both in mechanics and in electricity.
The unit is named for James Watt, a British engineer.

(d B/d t) Definition: The ratio between the amount of change in amplitude of the magnetic field (dB) and the time it takes to make that change (dt). Because changing magnetic fields can induce electrical fields, this is one area of potential concern for safety limits.
The value of dB/dt is measured in Tesla per second (T/s).

See also Directivity Index, Phon, and Decibel.