Real-World Physics: Medical Imaging and Music

The Physics of Music
Mr. Yuval Boger, CEO of Sensics and a leading authority on VR/AR technology, explained the physics behind the musical instruments. The sounds made by musical instruments are possible because of standing waves, which come from the constructive interference between waves traveling in both directions along a string or a tube.

Mr. Boger, who is also a violinist with the Columbia Orchestra, explained in scientific terms how tuning a violin works: tuning a violin simply means setting the fundamental frequency of each string to the correct value and this can be done by adjusting the tension in each string. To obtain different notes (i.e., different frequencies) from a string, the string's length is changed by pressing the string down until it touches a fret. This shortens a string, and the frequency will be increased. All the physics was beautifully combined with short pieces for violin by Bach that made the lecture unforgettable for our students.

Electromagnetic Wave Imaging in Medicine
Dr. Kenneth Tepper, Director of Hip Preservation and Arthroscopy at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, discussed real world applications of electromagnetic wave imaging in medicine. He gave insights about different imaging techniques, including X-rays, MRI and ultrasound, and emphasized both the advantages and the hazards of each technique.

Dr. Tepper, who is also the head team physician for Stevenson University, gave examples of sports injuries that were possible to heal using the innovative hip arthroscopy that he and his team specialize in (he is one of only a few surgeons nationwide who performs this procedure). The students were excited and interested to see developments of powerful and novel orthopedic techniques that help heal injuries in a faster time and much more efficient than older traditional procedures.