Which statement correctly describes the conversion of continuous MRI signals into a form suitable for digital processing?

Which statement correctly describes the conversion of continuous MRI signals into a form suitable for digital processing?

• A. Analog-to-digital converter converts continuous signals into digital data
• B. Digital-to-analog converter converts digital data into continuous signals
• C. Amplifier digitizes the signal
• D. Transmitter creates the magnetic field

Answer: (A)

In MRI, the signals returned by the receiver coils are continuous, changing voltages that must be turned into a form a computer can work with. The device that does this is the analog-to-digital converter, which samples the continuous signal at a chosen rate and then assigns each sample to a finite digital value. This process, called sampling then quantization, creates a digital representation that can be stored, analyzed, and reconstructed later, while meeting limits like the Nyquist rate and the system’s dynamic range. Turning digital values back into analog is the job of a digital-to-analog converter, so that option describes the opposite of what’s needed. An amplifier increases the signal’s strength but does not convert it to digital form. The transmitter’s role is to generate the magnetic field for excitation, not to digitize received signals.

In MRI, the signals returned by the receiver coils are continuous, changing voltages that must be turned into a form a computer can work with. The device that does this is the analog-to-digital converter, which samples the continuous signal at a chosen rate and then assigns each sample to a finite digital value. This process, called sampling then quantization, creates a digital representation that can be stored, analyzed, and reconstructed later, while meeting limits like the Nyquist rate and the system’s dynamic range.

Turning digital values back into analog is the job of a digital-to-analog converter, so that option describes the opposite of what’s needed. An amplifier increases the signal’s strength but does not convert it to digital form. The transmitter’s role is to generate the magnetic field for excitation, not to digitize received signals.