ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Amplitude modulation signalling system

Have you ever tried talking to someone using a walkie-talkie or a two-way radio? Whenever you press a button to speak, you can hear your voice coming out of the radio speaker. This is possible because of something called amplitude modulation signaling system or AM system.

You see, sound waves are like wavy lines that move up and down. The height of the wavy line is called the amplitude. The AM system uses these amplitudes to send signals from one place to another. When you talk into the microphone, the sound waves enter the radio as electrical signals. These signals are then used to alter the amplitude of a radio wave that is transmitted from the radio antenna.

The radio wave that is transmitted from the radio antenna is also an up and down wavy line or a wave. But the amplitude of the wave changes depending on the signals or sounds being transmitted. When the amplitude of the radio wave is high, it corresponds to a loud sound, and when the amplitude is low, it corresponds to a quiet sound.

This means that the AM system is like a code that communicates sound or voice over a long distance. At the receiving end, the radio wave is captured by an antenna and passed through a circuit that separates the sound wave from the radio wave. The sound wave is then played from the radio speaker, and you can hear the sound of the voice or other signals that were sent.

So, in simpler words, AM system makes the sound travel using radio waves, and the amplitude of the radio wave changes in response to the sound being sent. This way, we can talk to each other over long distances using radios and walkie-talkies.