The Electric Telegraph:A Revolutionary Invention

How Does the Telegraph Work?

Picture
Morse's Sketches of the telegraph
 
A Video describing how the telegraph works
-Only one wire required to link the sending end to the receiving end, using the earth to complete the circuit.

 -Sending end consists of a stylus with a metal tip on the end--when pressed, completes the circuit in the wire and sends an electric pulse to the receiving end 

-Receiving end- a small electromagnet that is powered by the electric pulses--attracts a lever with a small, ink-covered wheel on the end 

-Lever is attracted and goes down--wheel goes up, making contact with paper and creating either short or long ink marks (dots and dashes)
 
-The length of the ink marks depends on the duration of time that the person on the sending end holds down the stylus--creating electric pulses with different lengths. 

-The dots and dashes are a form of code known as Morse Code.