Characteristic impedance

When you talk to someone far away using a phone line or watch TV, information travels from one end to another through wires. But these wires are not just any wires. They are especially designed wires that help all the information to travel without getting lost or distorted.

Characteristic impedance is a special property of these wires that help them manage the flow of information. You can think of it like a traffic officer. Just like a traffic officer helps cars move smoothly in a congested area, the characteristic impedance helps the electrical signals (information) flow smoothly through the wire.

It's a bit like a series of potholes in the road. If the potholes are small, the car can drive over them easily without any damage. But if the potholes are big, the car can get stuck or damage.

Similarly, if a wire has a very low characteristic impedance, it means that there are no obstacles in the path of electrical signals. But if the characteristic impedance is too high, it means there are obstacles that can slow down or block the signal.

So, if you have a wire with a high characteristic impedance but your device is designed for low characteristic impedance, the signal can get distorted, and you may see a lower-quality image or sound. But if you match the characteristic impedance of the device to the wire, everything works perfectly!

So, with the help of characteristic impedance, the information can travel smoothly and efficiently through the wire, providing us with high-quality communication and entertainment.