How powerful is the magnet in an MRI machine?
A. At 15,000 Gauss, it’s 30,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field, says Joseph P. Hornak, professor of chemistry and imaging science at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Credit cards or bank cards are erased. Metal implants can become dangerous internal knives; pacemakers may be affected. Perilous are any loose nearby oxygen tanks, mop buckets, etc., that may go airborne. The point of Magnetic Resonance Imaging is to set the hydrogen atomic nuclei of the body’s water molecules precessing like little toy tops. Then a radio wave jostles the tops in patterns that discriminate healthy soft tissues from unhealthy. Bones have been X-rayed for over 100 years, but only recently with MRI have muscles, nerves, the brain been effectively “laid bare.” Q. Big celebration coming! You’ve selected the champagne carefully. Should you also give thought to the glasses you’ll be using for serving? A: Absolutely. The long-stemmed slender flute is better suited for drinking sparkling wines
