The World Communicates

Lesson 1- Introduction

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Course Structure

The course is divided into 15 lessons that will be covered over appoximately 6 weeks. Most of the lessons will be delivered over several periods depending on the particular timetable structure of your school:

this first lesson is a general introduction to the course with a discussion of the historical context of communications;
in Lesson 2 we learn about some of the different sorts of waves;
in Lessons 3 to 7 we learn about sound waves;
in Lessons 8 to 14 we learn about electromagnetic waves and how they are used to communicate; and
in Lesson 15 we get an introduction to digital teachnology and how it has revolutionised communication.

The last few lessons are devoted to student presentations of the Assessment Task (see below).

The History of Communications

Sound has been used by human beings to communicate since even before language was invented. The first examples of writing appeared more than 5000 years ago and light has been used to communicate since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
During the 17th century, discoveries in optics led to the development of telescopes which changed our view of the solar system and allowed the first measurements of the speed of light.
What we might think of as modern communications began in the 19th century, with the invention of the telegraph and the telephone.
In the early 20th century we learned how to use radio waves to communicate. With developments in electronics came television and the first computers.
The latter half of the 20th century saw the development of the laser, the personal computer, the Internet and the use of optical fibres to carry information.
In recent years, developments in photonics hold the prospect for further advances in communications technologies.

You can find more about the history of communications in the History section of this site. You will also find links to other sites that have more information about the people who have made history.

Assessment Task

The Assessment Task is an Internet-based research project you will undertake over the duration of the course. Details of the Assessment Task can be found in the Student section of this web site. You will present project to the rest of the class at the end of the course. There are 4 topics you may choose from.

Resources

There is a range of resources available to you for this course and for your Assessment Task that can be reached from the Student Guide page of this site:

these lesson notes will give you an overview of each lesson;
the Big Ideas section will give you an overview of the main physics concepts that will be covered; and
for each of the 4 assessment topics there is a page of links that will take you to sites with information that you can use in doing your project.

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