ultrasonics

ultrasonics /ul·tra·son·ics/ (-son´iks) the science dealing with ultrasonic sound waves.

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ul·tra·son·ics (ltr-snks)

n.

1. The acoustics of ultrasonic sound.

2. The science and technology that deals with ultrasound.

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ultrasonics

that part of the science of acoustics dealing with the frequency range beyond the upper limit of perception by the human ear (above 20,000 cycles per second), but usually restricted to frequencies above 50,000 hertz. Ultrasonic radiation is injurious to tissues because of its thermal effects when absorbed by living matter, but in controlled doses it is used therapeutically to selectively break down pathological tissues, as in treatment of arthritis and lesions of the nervous system, and also as a diagnostic aid by visually displaying echoes received from irradiated tissues, as in echocardiography and echoencephalography. See also ultrasonography.