Patients undergoing an MRI occasionally report seeing flashes of light. Some practitioners assume that this results from

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Patients undergoing an MRI occasionally report seeing flashes of light. Some practitioners assume that this results from electric stimulation of the eye by the emf induced by the rapidly changing fields of an MRI solenoid. We can do a quick calculation to see if this is a reasonable assumption. The human eyeball has a diameter of approximately \(25 \mathrm{~mm}\). Rapid changes in current in an MRI solenoid can produce rapid changes in field, with \(\Delta B / \Delta t\) as large as \(50 \mathrm{~T} / \mathrm{s}\). What emf would this induce in a loop circling the eyeball? How does this compare to the \(15 \mathrm{mV}\) necessary to trigger an action potential?

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College Physics A Strategic Approach

ISBN: 9780321907240

3rd Edition

Authors: Randall D. Knight, Brian Jones, Stuart Field

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