ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Multipath interference

Multipath interference happens when radio waves, which carry signals from a transmitter to a receiver, bounce off obstacles like buildings or hills before reaching the receiver.

Imagine you are playing catch with someone across the park, but there are trees and benches in between. Sometimes when you throw the ball, it might bounce off a tree and change direction, making it harder for the other person to catch the ball. Similarly, radio waves can bounce off buildings and other obstacles, creating multiple paths for the signal to reach the receiver.

When these signals arrive at different times, they interfere with each other, causing distortions in the transmitted signal. Just like how a jumbled message can be hard to understand, the distorted signal can be difficult for the receiver to interpret.

To prevent multipath interference, engineers use techniques like antenna diversity, which involves using multiple antennas to receive the same signal. This helps average out the effects of signal reflections and improve the overall quality of the transmission.