Finding resonance of even the tiniest objects follows same steps
Posted by: joann on May 31, 2006 - 01:10 PM
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[excerpt] Interestingly, small but simple structures like atoms can exhibit well-behaved motion, and have been studied extensively for applications such as MRI (more precisely, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The MRI instrument detects tissue density in living things by mapping the presence of Hydrogen in water — tissue density is related to water density, which is related to Hydrogen density. We detect Hydrogen atoms by exciting them at their resonant frequency of 42,580,000 Hz.
In between the size of an atom and a drop of water, objects the size of living cells would be expected to vibrate mechanically at intermediate frequencies (10,000-500, 000 Hz).
But also consider that other oscillations besides mechanical shaking are of interest in cells, including the rate of protein folding and unfolding, the rate at which nutrients enter and leave a cell, the rate at which life processes take place, and many others.
Because of the complexity of these small objects, the studies are a bit difficult, but the work goes on. And it is still based on the techniques noted above, that is, (1) excite the object with some form of energy (sound, mechanical vibrations, electromagnetic waves, changes in chemical concentration, etc), (2) observe the response, (3) develop a theory, and try to understand the world.
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