0:00:02 The Speakers

0:00:04 All the functioning of this basic looking box depends on the interaction
0:00:08 between electric current, a copper coil, and a simple plastic membrane.
0:00:13 The current and coil cause the membrane to vibrate.
0:00:17 The membrane pushes and pulls the surrounding air.
0:00:20 Essentially, it pounds waves into the air. Sound waves
0:00:24 by controlling the electric current that moves this small plastic lining,
0:00:28 the speakers can make any sounds imaginable
0:00:31 Let's look how it works:
0:00:34
0:00:51 In the enclosure, are two speakers
0:00:53 one for low sounds and one for highs.
0:00:57 Both have the exact same parts and work the exact same way.
0:01:01 A permanent magnet
0:01:02 a diaphragm, just a plastic memory
0:01:06 stuck to the membrane a copper coil
0:01:09 The coil is inserted into the magnet.
0:01:11
0:01:13 When the current circulates through the copper coil,
0:01:16 it creates an electromagnetic force that pushes on the coil.
0:01:21 By changing the direction of the electric current in the coil,
0:01:25 we change the direction of that force.
0:01:28 So the coil is pushed one way when the electric current circulates in one
direction,
0:01:33 and the opposite way when the current changes direction.
0:01:37 Since the coil is attached to the diaphragm,
0:01:40 where one goes, the other goes too.
0:01:43 This interaction is the key to understanding how a speaker works.
0:01:47 All of this happens in a fraction of a second
0:01:50 because the current changes direction very quickly,
0:01:54 up to 26,000 back and forth times a second.
0:01:57
0:01:58 How often the direction of the current changes depends on the sounds the
speaker is required to make.
0:02:04 Low notes will get the current to move back and forth about 40 times in 1
second.
0:02:09 That means the diaphragm will vibrate 40 times in 1 second.
0:02:13
0:02:14 The faster the current changes direction, the faster the diaphragm vibrates

0:02:18 and the higher the sound coming out of the speaker.
0:02:21
0:02:22 A small electric circuit in the speaker enclosure directs traffic,
0:02:26 sending the proper electrical signals to the proper speaker.
0:02:29 Low go to the bigger low frequency speaker,
0:02:32 while high sounds go to the high frequency speaker.
0:02:36 So it's by controlling the speed of the changes in direction of the current

0:02:40 that we control how low or high the sound coming out will be.
0:02:45 simple, efficient and cool
0:02:48