Which function increases small electric voltages received from the transducer to a level suitable for processing and is adjustable using the overall gain settings?

Which function increases small electric voltages received from the transducer to a level suitable for processing and is adjustable using the overall gain settings?

• A. Amplification
• B. Compression
• C. Demodulation
• D. Rejection

Answer: (A)

Amplification boosts the tiny electrical signals produced by the transducer to a level that the receiver and A/D converter can process. The ultrasound transducer outputs very small voltages, and the overall gain control adjusts how much this signal is amplified before it moves on to demodulation and other processing stages. If you amplify appropriately, the signal occupies the system’s dynamic range without losing useful information. Other functions don’t fit because compression reduces the dynamic range instead of increasing signal strength, demodulation converts the signal to its envelope without raising amplitude, and rejection reduces unwanted noise or clutter rather than amplifying the signal.

Amplification boosts the tiny electrical signals produced by the transducer to a level that the receiver and A/D converter can process. The ultrasound transducer outputs very small voltages, and the overall gain control adjusts how much this signal is amplified before it moves on to demodulation and other processing stages. If you amplify appropriately, the signal occupies the system’s dynamic range without losing useful information. Other functions don’t fit because compression reduces the dynamic range instead of increasing signal strength, demodulation converts the signal to its envelope without raising amplitude, and rejection reduces unwanted noise or clutter rather than amplifying the signal.