Ultrasound uses piezoelectric crystals that vibrate when voltage is applied to produce sound waves. The sound waves reflect off tissues inside the body and return to the transducer, which converts the reflected waves into electrical signals displayed as images on a monitor. Key parts of an ultrasound machine include transducers that send and receive sound waves, a screen to display images, a voltage generator, and controls to adjust the frequency. Ultrasound provides diagnostic information by measuring how intensity decreases as sound waves pass through different tissues based on their absorption properties.