Chapter 33

Summary
Modulation varies either the amplitude or frequency of a carrier wave to carry information in the signal.
Bandwidth is the range of frequencies present in a broadcast signal.
FM broadcasts have higher bandwidth and sound quality.
Analogue and digital signals transmit information.
Analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC) turns analogue signals into digital signals and digital-to-analogue
conversion (DAC) turns them back again.
Regeneration removes noise and interference from digital signals.
For good reproduction of a signal, the sampling rate and number of bits should be high.
Wire-pairs, coaxial cables, radio waves, microwaves and optic bres transmit signals.
P
Attenuation of a signal is measured in dB, where number of dB = 10 lg 1 .
P2
Satellites for communication are often in geostationary or polar orbits.
The public switched telephone network (PSTN) connects xed telephones and the cellular exchange of the
mobile-phone network.
A mobile-phone network divides an area into cells, each having a base station.
The cellular exchange selects frequencies for use by the base station and mobile phone.

AS and A Level Physics Cambridge University Press

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