9781422272930

This video explains how Bluetooth works using wavelengths.

speakers, computers, tablets, and other devices, including smartphones. But what does physics have to do with any of this? Physics has a critical role in Bluetooth in terms of the wavelengths that it operates on. Bluetooth relies on radio waves in a specific frequency range, between 2.4 and 3.5 gigahertz. There are 79 frequencies in the range, from which a Bluetooth device will randomly select one about 1,600 times per second. Physics helps us understand how energy moves through waves in the air and, at low frequencies, even through walls and other solid objects, therefore allowing us to create and enjoy things like wireless speakers and hands-free headsets. The reason we are even able to communicate over long distances on our smartphones is explained by physics. Much like how low-frequency radio waves allow us to send information via

11

SCIENCE IN SMARTPHONES