MRIs and the State of Arizona, 8 Interesting Facts
Date: March 21, 2023
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Medical Resonance Imaging (MRI) |
Arizona ‘The Grand Canyon State’ |
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The first concept of Magnetic Resonance Imaging was called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, or NMR.1 |
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The first name for the area now southern Arizona and northern Mexico was Pimería Alta.2 |
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A physicist named Isidor Isaac Rabi developed a ground-breaking method to measure the properties of atoms in the 1930s.3 |
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AZ became the 48th state on February 14, 1912.4 George Wylie Paul Hunt was Arizona’s first governor, elected on October 24, 1911. He was reelected six times.5 |
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The first MRI was developed in the early 70s, but it wasn’t until 1977 that medical professionals performed the MRI scan on a living human being.3 |
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The Hopi people were one of the first people to migrate to the area known as Arizona in the 12th century from Mexico and South and Central America.6 |
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The main magnet in an MRI magnetic field is 140,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field.7 |
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Arizona leads the nation in copper production. The amount of copper on the roof of the Capitol building is equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies.4 |
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The magnets used in MRI scanners also must be cooled to a temperature of absolute zero. This cooling is typically done with liquid hydrogen to take the magnets down to 0° F (-17.78 °C).7 |
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July 2009 was the hottest month in Phoenix since records began in 1896. There were 15 days when highs reached 110 or hotter at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport.8 |
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While it’s called an image, an MRI scan is not a photograph at all. Instead, it’s the culmination of magnetic fields and radio waves mapped by a computer using a unique signal for each cell type.3 Ironically, MRIs are considered one of the best ways to capture “images.” |
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Arizona is one part of the Four Corners, a spot in the United States where a person can stand in four states simultaneously.4 Arizona’s rugged beauty is a common destination state for photographers taking images of iconic places such as the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Horseshoe Bend, and more. |
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It is estimated that nearly 40 million MRI scans are performed annually in the US.9 |
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An estimated 40.9 million people visited Arizona in 2021, collectively spending $23.6 billion in the state.10 |
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Home of Gurnick’s Online MRI Program + Clinical |
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Home of The Grand Canyon National Park |
Citations:
1 “When and Why Was MRI Invented.” GE Healthcare, General Electric Company, June 2019. (Accessed Feb. 16, 2023.)
2 “The Meaning of Arizona|Arizona State Library.” Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records, Arizona State. (Accessed Feb. 14, 2023.)
3^a, b, c Envision Radiology. “Facts about MRIs.” Envision Radiology, Envision Radiology. Aug. 21, 2020. (Accessed Feb. 14, 2023.)
4^a, b, c “Arizona State Facts–50States.com.” 50states.com, 50states.com–States and Capitals, 2019. (Accessed Feb. 14, 2023.)
5 Statista. “MRI Units Density by Country 2017|Statista.” Statista, Statista, 2017. (Accessed Feb. 14, 2023.)
6 History.com Editors. “Arizona.” History A&E Television Networks, LLC. February 25, 2019. (Accessed Feb. 14, 2023.)
7^a, b “10 Facts about MRIs–Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas.” Medical Associates of Northwest Arkansas, MANA. Sept. 24, 2015. (Accessed Feb. 15, 2023.)
8 “Arizona Annual Temperatures and Records.” Coolweather.net, National Climatic Data Center. (Accessed Feb. 14, 2023.)
9 Kincaid, Ellie. “Want Fries with That? A Brief History of Medical MRI, Starting with a McDonald’s.” Forbes. April 16, 2018. (Accessed Feb. 21, 2023.)
10 “Economic Impact.” Tourism AZ, Arizona Office of Tourism, May 2022. (Accessed Feb. 14, 2023.)