Nephelometry (medicine)

Okay kiddo, have you ever seen your mommy or daddy make a cake and use a measuring spoon to add ingredients? Well, imagine that instead of measuring flour and sugar, we are measuring tiny particles that are too small for us to see with our eyes called proteins.

Doctors and scientists use a special machine called a nephelometer to measure the amount of these proteins in a person's body. The machine works by shining a light through a liquid sample, like blood or urine. If there are a lot of proteins in the sample, the light will scatter, kind of like when you try to see your reflection in a mirror that's all wavy.

The nephelometer measures how much light is scattered and gives us a number, which tells us how many proteins are in the sample. This helps doctors figure out if someone is sick, and how severe their sickness may be.

So the nephelometer is like a really cool machine that helps doctors and scientists measure tiny particles called proteins. Just like how mommy and daddy use a measuring spoon to make yummy cakes, doctors use the nephelometer to help people stay healthy.