How does the telegraph work?
Quick Answer
Telegraph keys are switches in electrical circuits that power on the current. When the operator taps out the signals for a word, the switch finishes a circuit, permitting electricity to continue around it. At the other end of the line, the recipient watches a pointer or dial indicating the different patterns of code, listens to a buzzer or reads the print out from a device.
Continue Reading
Full Answer
For a telegraph message to go from one person to another, a wire or cable must run from one location to the next. To get messages from the United States to Europe, this meant that cables had to run beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
The technology behind the telegraph also led to the creation of the telephone, which quickly became more popular. Alexander Graham Bell was actually twiddling with a novel type of telegraph when he spilled something on himself. His assistant heard him calling for help from the next room, but his voice was coming through the wire. Landline telephones use flowing electricity just like the telegraph, but the current carries sounds rather than a code. Speaking into a phone involves the device transforming the speaker's voice into electricity and then converting it back for the person on the other end.
Learn more about InventionsRelated Questions
-
Q:
How did telecommunications originate?
A: Arguably, telecommunications originated with the invention of the electrical telegraph. Though there were many discoveries that led to this, the electrical... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What did Joseph Henry invent?
A: Joseph Henry invented the electric telegraph. In 1830 Henry demonstrated the potential of a William Sturgeon device for long-distance communication by send... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
What is the history of the telephone?
A: Alexander Graham Bell is credited for inventing the telephone in 1876, but an Italian immigrant named Antonio Meucci originally designed and developed the ... Full Answer >Filed Under: -
Q:
When was the telegraph invented?
A: The electrical telegraph was developed in the 1830s and 1840s by a number of inventors, most notably by Samuel Morse. The inventor's Morse Code revolutioni... Full Answer >Filed Under:
