What technical breakthrough allowed the telephone to transmit human speech rather than just telegraphic clicks?
Answer
The use of a variable electrical current that fluctuated with sound waves
The transition from telegraphy to telephony required a move from discrete, on-off electrical signals to a continuous, variable current. By creating an electromagnet that vibrated in sympathy with human speech pressure waves, the device could transmit the actual complexity of the voice. This analog approach ensured that the electrical signal mirrored the original sound wave, making the transmitted voice intelligible at the receiving end.
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