What happens to scan time as Frequency Matrix increases?

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the frequency matrix refers to the resolution of the images produced, determined by the number of frequency and phase encoding steps used during the scan. As the frequency matrix increases, it corresponds to a higher resolution and more detailed images due to the acquisition of more data points.

When the frequency matrix increases, the scan time generally increases as well, because more steps are needed to acquire and process these additional data points. Each frequency encoding step requires a certain amount of time to collect the data, and thus more steps directly lead to longer scan durations.

In the context of the provided choices, the correct response reflects a misunderstanding of how scan time relates to frequency matrix size. It's essential to grasp the relationship between resolution (as indicated by the frequency matrix) and scan time, which should indicate that scan time typically increases with a larger frequency matrix. Therefore, increased resolution typically leads to extended scan times due to the greater number of data points collected during the imaging process.