Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just

$149.99
 
$74.99/Year

Try GOLD - Free

HOW THE FIRST TV SIGNAL WAS TRANSMITTED

How It Works UK

|

Issue 208

A century ago, John Logie Baird demonstrated a working television transmission

- WORDS AILSA HARVEY

HOW THE FIRST TV SIGNAL WAS TRANSMITTED

On 30 October 1925, the first television transmission of a moving image was demonstrated. The engineer behind this feat, John Logie Baird, created this broadcasting technology using a simple mechanical disc system. Called a Nipkow disc, it had holes in it that formed a spiral pattern, with each hole observing and relaying one line of the image being televised. A motor was used to rotate the disc, powering the rotation at 12.5 revolutions per second. Areas of the image that reflected less light through the holes produced electrica

MORE STORIES FROM How It Works UK

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

UNCANNY'S DANNY ROBINS

The creator and host of the BBC's Uncanny series tells us about his most chilling experiences while researching the show, and writing a ghost book for children

time to read

4 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

HOW FEATHERS GROW

A bird's proteinaceous plumage comes from the same source as our hair

time to read

1 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

New EV battery technology could power 500-mile road trips on a 12-minute charge

Scientists have used a neat chemistry trick to tackle a major challenge facing future batteries.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

HOW AIR PURIFIERS WORK

These filtration devices clean a room's air of particles that can make a person sick

time to read

1 min

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

Chinese scientists hunt for alien radio signals in a 'potentially habitable' star system

TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf star located about 40 light years away that hosts seven Earth-sized rocky planets, with at least three orbiting in the habitable zone where liquid water could exist.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?

Our bodies are vessels for life, but in death they undergo a cascade of chemical and biological changes

time to read

3 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

WHY ARE KEYBOARDS QWERTY?

There's a reason why this seemingly random arrangement of letters is widely used on keyboard layouts

time to read

1 min

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

A 'quasi-moon' discovered in Earth orbit may have been hiding for decades

A new paper describes a possible 'quasi-moon' of Earth, an interloping asteroid that may have been following our planet around for decades, undetected.

time to read

1 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

WHAT'S AN ANTI-DRONE GUN?

How these devices intercept and disable unmanned aerial vehicles

time to read

1 mins

Issue 208

How It Works UK

How It Works UK

Dozens of mysterious blobs discovered inside Mars may be 'failed planets'

Giant impact structures, including the potential remains of ancient ‘protoplanets’, may be lurking deep beneath the surface of Mars.

time to read

2 mins

Issue 208

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size