Communications and Energy

Communications and Energy

To propel or move anything requires energy. Light, electrical waves, or sound waves used in communication are no exception. What is different about communication is the energy used to transmit data.

Basic Signaling

The history of communications and energy shows a relationship that can be expressed by the popular adage, "What goes around, comes around." In ancient times humans communicated through the use of torches, fire, and smoke signals. All three methods required a great deal of energy for the amount of information generated and the short transmission distance. While fire was more than likely first used by prehistoric peoples to cook food and as a source of warmth, it also provided a mechanism for performing a basic signaling method. This method evolved into the foundation for modern communications systems. If we fast-forward to the new millennium, the opposite is true: Communication over great distances with little energy is accomplished through the use of microprocessors and microelectronics. Microprocessors and microelectronics provide global terrestrial and satellite communications, whose use also facilitates the exploration, recovery, and distribution of different types of energy.

Although unknown at the time, some of the earliest uses of fire represented a binary signaling system that was even used during the American Revolution.

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