Cell Phones

So, you want to learn how cell phones work? Well good, because I am here to teach you how they work. One itsy bitsy, teensy tiny problem, though, is that cell phones represent the most advanced technology humans have ever created in the entire history of mankind, and are supported by a huge and expensive infrastructure. This means that not only is the cell phone itself incredibly complicated, the cell phone also requires many complicated systems that support them and which allow them to work. Obviously, all of this technology took years to develop, with new technology building upon (and improving) multiple generations of existing technology. We are up to what, 5G now?
In order to understand how cell phones work we have to build a solid foundation of the basics, then go through the generations of technology one by one to see how we got where we are. You cannot skip or skimp on this process. Doing so would be kind of like saying you want to be a professional basketball player, but never working on your jump shot or foot work (or being tall and fast, but those are personal issues). Don’t even begin to think that cell phone development started with 1G because we have to go all the way back to Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 for the beginnings of radio transmission (or was it started by Nikola Tesla? See, even history gets complicated). Never forget that all of the technology we enjoy today was built upon the shoulders of giants (intellectually).
One more thing. The PowerPoint is my main way of compiling and dissemination information. Bullet points are kind of a dry way to deliver information so I want to encourage you to read the comments as you go through the presentation. There are comments, and those comments are a kind of way to put my voice into the presentation. Without reading them you are not getting the full experience.