How Does a Cell Phone Work?
By Jaki
Introduction
• Welcome to my slide show! If you are like
many other Americans in the twenty-first
century you most likely use a type of
sophisticated radio, commonly known as a
“cell phone.” But have you ever really
wondered how a cell phone works? How you
can have a simple conversation with
someone? How you can be directed from one
call to another? Well if you read into this
website it will surely explain these question. I
hope you enjoy! =]
science
• Mainly started for business people. Estimated that at least
One member from each family owns a cell phone in the
United States. Cell phones are defined as a sophisticated
radio, or a wireless communication tool that uses, cells,
base station, and a cell phone tower for each call. There are
many amounts of cells that use extensive frequencies that
allow many people to use cell phones at the same time.
During a call it’s traveled from base station to base stations
it goes from cell to cell. Cell phones also use a short wave
analog or a digital telecommunication where a subscriber
has a wireless connection from mobile telephone to
relatively nearby transmitter and a receiver in the base
station.
… and more science
•
The main part of a cell phone is the “cell”
which is a system inside the phone. The
system divides an area of cells into groups of
cells on a hexagonal grid form. The cell
phone connects to towers, then connects you
to land based telephone system route call.
….And Some More Science
• When you turn a phone on the first thing it does is
it listens for certain frequencies (control channel)
that the phone and tower use to connect. But if
there is no control channel in that area it says “no
service.” The second thing that the phone does is
transmits a registration request, for the MTSO to
keep track of your location on your phone. It does
this because it needs to know what cell phone your
are so it will ring when someone calls you. The
third thing it does is the MTSO looks for you in its
database.
....And more science
The fourth is the MTSO chooses a
frequency pair for your phone to use in
the cell to take the call. The fifth is the
MTSO connects and communicates with
your phone telling it what frequencies to
use and when the phone and tower will
begin these frequencies, and then you
are connected. The sixth and final as
you start to use up all of the cell the
tower takes note of the dying cell, this
means its time for the control channel to
place you with another cell.
Radio waves
• Radio waves can vary in different sizes. They
range from football fields to footballs. Its job is
to carry signals for your cell phone. For cell
phones mainly they are used to transmit
information. They vary form being a lot
smaller than normal television waves.
Whenever you make a call on your cell phone
your voice is encoded and made into radio
waves that are transmitted by the antennae
on your cell phone and it goes to the nearest
base station.
Photos
Vocabulary
Cell- is a system inside the phone it divides an area of cells into groups of cells
on a hexagonal grid format.
Tower- cell phone towers are solitary structures. They transmit radio waves
and must be placed above ground.
Frequencies- These can allow thousands of mobile users to share channels.
MTSO- each carrier in each city runs what is called a central office. known
as the Mobile Telephone Switching Office
Dying cell- Is when its time for the control channel to place you with another
cell.
Radio waves- transmit information by the intennae and goes to a base
station
Graph
How Does a Cell Phone Work?
9
8
8
Number of Responces
7
6
6
5
4
4
3
2
2
1
0
Don’t know
incorrect
portonally correct
Adult responces
correct
The previous graph contains the information
that I collected from my question.
I asked twenty adults if they knew how a cell
phone works.
The results were on the previous slide.
Related links
How cell phones work
This site gave me through and
clear information about my
topic.
How stuff works
This site gave me the
“codes” behind the science
of a cell phone.
MRS. Peck’s Website
Physics of Cell Phones
This site gave me stepby-step information, on
how a cell phone works.
NASA
This Website gave me clear
information on how radio waves
are used by cell phones
Biggie Questions