Which term relates to the strength of the compression wave?

• A. Amplitude
• B. Acoustic variables
• C. Bandwidth
• D. Compression

Answer: (A)

Amplitude describes the strength of the compression wave. In a longitudinal ultrasound wave, compression regions are where pressure and density exceed the baseline. The size of that pressure variation, the peak fluctuation from the resting state, is the amplitude. A larger amplitude means a stronger compression and generally higher acoustic intensity, since intensity is tied to the square of the amplitude. The other terms describe different things: acoustic variables encompass properties like pressure, density, and particle velocity; bandwidth is about the range of frequencies present in the pulse; compression is simply the high-pressure portion of the wave, not a direct measure of its strength.