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The Physics of Color Television
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This analysis is a survey of how each of several branches of physics (quantum physics, molecular physics, biophysics, electrophysics, spectralphysics, & astrophysics) combine to create the medium of color television.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
This analysis is a survey of how each of several branches of physics (quantum physics, molecular physics, biophysics, electrophysics, spectralphysics, & astrophysics) combine to create the medium of color television.

Paper Introduction:
The Physics of Color Television Most people who claim they do not understand physics, or who wonder if physics is important to learn about, do not realize that they probably spend two or more hours a day staring at complex multiple physics in action -- their color television sets (Dasgupta, 1994, 62). There they see in operation quantum physics (QP), molecular physics (MP), biophysics (BP), electrophysics (EP), spectralphysics (SP) and astrophysics (AP) -- to name just the more obvious (Basalla, 1988, 62). This analysis is a survey of how each of these branches of physics combine to create the medium of color television. To save space, the abbreviations of the physics fields will follow each application.

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Whenthe velocity of a charged particle changes, an EM field is produced.Electromagnetic fields were first discovered in the 19th century, whenphysicists noticed that electric arcs (sparks) could be reproduced at adistance, with no connecting wires in between (Petroski, 1993, 31). There the TV signal is received, decoded, encoded, and shotback down to earth where it is picked up by an antenna, converted into newsignals, and sent out over cable wires (AP, QP, MP). Dasgupta, S. Though it became the basis for a half century of experimentation, theNipkow disk had two drawbacks: rotated mechanically, it could not be spunfast enough to produce a sharp image; and even the largest disks created animage only two inches high. The first radio transmitters made use of electricarcs (EP, QP, SP). These "spark transmitters" and the associated receivers were asexciting to people in the early 2 th century as the Internet is today.This was the beginning of what we now call wireless communication, and wasthe birth of TV. (1993). Signals sweep from a fixed position through holes in the shadow mask,a stencil-like covering (QP, EP, BP). The stronger the signal, the brighter the dot. The decoder tells the gunwhat electronic beams to shoot at the back of the picture tube screen (SP). The TV cameracontained a tiny encoding device which converted all of these wave signalsinto coded EMS which were then sent out either over the airwaves or bysatellite (SP, QP, EP, MP).The Home TV Set: The Other End of the Equation When the encoded signals are received by a home TV set, the process ismore or less reversed. In 1884, a German physicist, Paul Nipkow, who had beenstudying the light spectrum (SP) and invented a simple wheel with holes init, which, when spun in front of a light force diffracted and diffused thelight waves sufficiently to cast an image (SP, EP, QP) (Petroski, 1993,31). (1988). The reflected waves can be used to form an image of theground in complete darkness or through clouds. Knopf. Cognitive Science, 12, 139-175. These have wavelengths millions of times smallerthan those of visible light (MP, EP, QP).Wave Analysis The waves important to this discussion are radio waves that are usedto transmit radio and television signals (QP, EP, MP, SP). This analysis is a survey ofhow each of these branches of physics combine to create the medium of colortelevision. Kulkarni, D., & Simon, H.A. Roughly,the idea works like this. References Basalla, G. The photographed image described above leavesthe studio and instead of a normal broadcast over air waves, is sent vialight waves (lasers) to geostationary satellites hovering in orbit abovethe earth. The Physics of Color Television Most people who claim they do not understand physics, or who wonder ifphysics is important to learn about, do not realize that they probablyspend two or more hours a day staring at complex multiple physics in action-- their color television sets (Dasgupta, 1994, 62). (1994) Creativity in invention and design: Computationaland cognitive explorations of technological originality. A standard American TV screen is laid out in a grid of 525 lines, eachline composed of phosphorescent dots that glow red, green or blue whenstruck by electrons shot from one of the TV set's three tubes (EP, QP, SP,BP, MP). Thisled scientists to believe that it was possible to communicate over longdistances without wires. The electron gun sends all its beam messages using the red, green andblue wave lengths because all the shades we see are made of those threewavelengths (BP, QP, EP). The problem was eventually solved when a trioof scientists independently came up with a far more efficient electronicscanning system (MP, QP, EP). The evolution of useful things. Bluewaves, for instance, are different from red waves that are different fromgreen and so on (SP, QP, EP, MP) (Petroski, 1993, 33). Colored light, which mixes differently from solid pigments (SP), hasred, blue and green -- rather than yellow -- as primaries. New York: AlfredA. FM radio waves are shorter than AM radio waves.Different subsets of these theories and studies are applicable when the TVsignal is converted into signals for a cable television system. Onone end of the spectrum are radio waves with wavelengths billions of timeslonger than those of visible light (AP, QP). Televisionyellow, for instance, is produced by combining red and green (BP, QP, SP). A device called ashadow mask prevents dots from being lit up by the wrong color signal --which would result in bizarre color shifts (EP, BP, QP).Keeping It Straight Can red signals strike the green phosphorescent dots on the screen?No. The rainbow of colors that we see in visible light represents only avery small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum (SP, EP, QP, MP). For example, an FM radio station at 1 on the radio dial (1 -megahertz) would have a wavelength of about three meters. A tiny decoder breaks down the EM signals that thecamera encoded and converts them into scanning rays (EP, QP) through anelectron gun at the back of the picture tube. Petroski, H. (1988). New York:Cambridge University Press. The process of scientificdiscovery: The strategy of experimentation. Allelectrically charged particles are surrounded by electric fields (Dasgupta,1994, 1 4). The evolution of technology. On the other end of thespectrum are gamma rays. Radio waves withwavelengths of a few centimeters can be transmitted from a satellite orairplane antenna. An object was photographed using a camera that broke the object upinto different portions of the light, or electromagnetic, spectrum. New York: CambridgeUniversity Press. This is coated with a wide range of mineral and chemical compoundswhich light up, or glow, when they are activated by the beams from theelectron gun (SP, QP, EP, MP). There they see inoperation quantum physics (QP), molecular physics (MP), biophysics (BP),electrophysics (EP), spectralphysics (SP) and astrophysics (AP) -- to namejust the more obvious (Basalla, 1988, 62). To save space, the abbreviations of the physics fields willfollow each application.How The Theories Began A safe place to start is with electromagnetic (EM) field which isgenerated by charged particles, such as electrons (EP, QP). Based on this sketched survey of the different fields of physicsinvolved in something as seemingly simple as turning on a TV set, it isproved that physics is not only a relevant study for today, but that aknowledge of physics is the only way to understand the world around us(Dasgupta, 1994, 17). An AM station at75 on the dial (75 -kilohertz) uses a wavelength of about 4 meters.Radio waves can also be used to create images. Working simultaneously with the electron gun,but independent of it, sound decoding devices in the TV set are translatingsound bits to the speaker systems (SP, EP, BP). Each beam is delivered at adifferent angle, and the mask is positioned to block it from hitting anybut its corresponding color (EP, SP, BP). Charged particles in motion produce magnetic fields. The scanning system was simple. Radio waveshave wavelengths that range from less than a centimeter to tens or evenhundreds of meters.

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