Definition: The act of sound transmission via the electromagnetic spectrum.
Alright class, settle down, let’s take a look! Today we’re tackling a word that sounds quite grand – “telephony.” It’s a term you might hear tossed around, and it's important to understand what it really means. The dictionary gives us a good start: "The act of sound transmission via the electromagnetic spectrum." Let’s break that down piece by piece, shall we? Think of it like this – tele comes from Greek roots meaning “far away,” and phony refers to voice or sound. So, essentially, it's about sending voices across distances. Now, the "electromagnetic spectrum" can seem a bit tricky, but don’t worry! It just means that radio waves – which are part of this spectrum – are used to carry our voices. Imagine this: You speak into your phone, and those words aren't traveling through the air like whispers. Instead, they're turned into electrical signals which then travel along wires (or sometimes wirelessly) as radio waves , bouncing off towers and reaching another person far away! So, telephony is all about using these electromagnetic waves – a kind of invisible highway for your voice - to connect people who are separated. It’s the basis for telephones, cell phones, and even some video calls! Does that make sense? Any questions before we move on?