How does MRI work?

Diagram
This week we had to draw a diagram for our paper which represented the way it worked, through the "machine analysis" viewpoint that Dr. Bogen asked us to use. Basically, we had to think of our "process" or "object" (in my case MRI) and describe it as a machine, with the building blocks being each component and what was transferred between them. Then we had to add the properties that govern each block, what was accumulated or balances, what quantities were affected, etc. for each block. Finally, we had to put it all together in diagram form and relate all of the processes to one another.


To me, the hardest part was trying to adapt my subject to the format Dr. Bogen asked us to use. It wasn't so hard to enumerate all the components and which ones were related, but it was very hard at some point to think of precisely what quantities were affected by the transfer, etc. I believe it was so because MRI doesn't lend itself so much to an interpretation in that format, the way that (for example) the machine diagram for flow of blood into left ventricle in diastole (Dr. Bogen's example) did. However, after a lot of research and a creative way of analyzing the MRI and finding out all the different properties and transferred data, I ended up with the following preliminary diagram for MRI (click on it to make it bigger):

I think that, as I'm writing my paper, this will be a good reference to structure my thesis around. Furthermore, because I HAD to make the diagram this way, I'll have more information about how to approach MRIs in a "machine analysis" (i.e. how does it work?) style and therefore my final work should - hopefully - be a lot better!