Sound pressure is reported on a logarithmic scale called sound-pressure level, expressed in decibel (dB) referenced to the weakest audible 1 000 Hz sound pressure of 2*10-5 Pascal (20 mP). Sound level meters contain filters that simulate the ear's frequency response. The most commonly used filter provides what is called 'A' weighting, with the letter 'A' appended to the dB units, i.e. dBA.

Pressure is the force per unit area applied on a surface in a direction perpendicular to that surface.
Pressure can also be described as a form of potential energy in a fluid. The maximum pressure of the fluid medium obtained during propagation of an ultrasonic pulse.
The negative peak pressure is the peak rarefaction pressure attained during the negative portion of a propagating ultrasound pulse in a medium such as tissue.
Sound pressure can be measured using a microphone in air and a hydrophone in water. The SI unit for sound pressure is the Pascal.
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels.

See also Rarefactional Pressure, Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound, and Projector.

(dB) A customary logarithmic measure most commonly used (in various ways) for measuring sound. Decibel is a way to express the ratio of two sound intensities: dB=10log10I1/I2 being I1 the reference. If one sound is 1 bel (10 decibel) 'louder' than another, this means the louder sound is 10 times louder than the fainter one. A difference of 20 decibel corresponds to an increase of 10 x 10 or 100 times in intensity.
The intensity of ultrasound decreases during the propagation and is measured in db/cm.
For sound pressure (the pressure exerted by the sound waves) 0 decibel equals 20 microPascal (μPa), and for ultrasonic power 0 decibel sometimes equals 1 picoWatt.

See also dB/dt, Phon, and Logarithms.

The rarefactional pressure is the amplitude of a negative instantaneous sound pressure in an ultrasound beam. Rarefaction is the reduction in pressure of the medium during the acoustic cycle.

See also Mechanical Index.

Sound and ultrasound waves consist of a mechanical disturbance of a medium such as air. The disturbance passes through the medium at a fixed speed causing vibration. The rate at which the particles vibrate is the frequency, measured in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz).
The pressure of sound is reported on a logarithmic scale called sound-pressure level, expressed in decibel (dB) referenced to the weakest audible 1 000 Hz sound pressure of 2*10^-5 Pascal (20 mP). Sound level meters contain filters that simulate the ear's frequency response. The most commonly used filter provides what is called 'A' weighting, with the letter 'A' appended to the dB units, i.e. dBA.
Sound becomes inaudible to the human ear above about 20 kHz and is then known as ultrasound. Diagnostic imaging uses much higher frequencies, in the order of MHz.
See also Spatial Peak Intensity.

Sound frequencies: