Landlines work through a simple system to transmit your voice electrically over wires. A traditional landline telephone system contains three primary components:
- Hook Switch: This connects or disconnects the phone from the telephone network. When the phone is "on the hook" (hanging up), the switch disconnects it. When you pick up the phone ("off the hook"), the switch connects it to the network.
- Speaker (Receiver): This converts electrical signals back into sound waves so you can hear the person on the other end.
- Microphone (Transmitter): This is how your voice is converted into electrical signals. Sound waves from your voice compress and decompress granules inside the microphone. According to the provided reference, this action changes the resistance and modulates the current flowing through the circuit. This modulated current carries your voice signal.
In short, speaking into the microphone generates a varying electrical signal that travels along the wires to the other phone, where it is converted back into sound by the speaker.
