Mobile phone
device · 1973 · Digital age
A telephone that connects to the network by radio.
Inventor: Martin Cooper.
What it is made of
- Antenna — has part. An antenna.
- Microprocessor — has part. A processor is in control.
- Printed circuit board — has part. All of a phone's parts are soldered onto a printed circuit board.
- Integrated circuit — has part. Inside a phone are microchips: processor, memory, radio.
- Display — has part. The phone's screen shows the number, messages and menus.
- Keyboard — has part. A numeric keypad.
- Liquid-crystal display — has part. A screen.
- Microphone — has part. A microphone.
- Loudspeaker — has part. A loudspeaker.
- Radio module and antenna — has part. The radio part that talks to the base station.
- Lithium-ion battery — has part. A battery.
Principles and materials it uses
- Electromagnetic waves — uses. Communication with the base station is by radio.
- Cellular network — uses. It works in a cellular network.
- Plastic — is made of. The case is plastic.
History: what it evolved from and what it influenced
- Telephone — evolved from. A mobile phone keeps the function of a telephone, replacing the wire with a radio channel.
- Radio — evolved from. Mobile communication is a development of radiotelephony.
- Walkie-talkie — evolved from. Portable radio communication.
What it is a kind of
- Smartphone — includes. A smartphone is a mobile phone with the functions of a computer.