Multipath propagation

Multipath propagation is when a signal from a TV, a phone call or any other electronic device, takes multiple paths to reach its destination. Think of it like you are walking to school and there are two roads: one is straight and the other is curvy. Sometimes your signal might choose the straight path and sometimes it might choose the curvy path. This happens because signals can bounce off buildings, trees, and other objects rather than traveling in a straight line.

So imagine that you're playing a game on your phone and the signal from the cellular tower near your house is being sent to your phone. The signal is trying to reach your phone but it's not a clear shot. It reflects off walls, trees, and other obstacles in its path, so the signal takes different directions to get to your phone.

Multipath propagation can cause signal distortion, fading or even complete signal loss, because the different paths that the signal takes can cause it to be out of phase with itself or interfere with each other. So, for example, your phone might receive a distorted message from your friend or your TV might have a bad signal and the picture might not look clear.

To avoid these problems, engineers design communication systems to minimize the effects of multipath propagation. They use multiple antennas to send and receive signals, use advanced signal processing techniques, and sometimes even use multiple frequencies to send the same message. These techniques help to ensure that the signal will still be received even if it takes different paths to get there.