Question and Answers

How a Tape Recorder works? - ♪♫Ashley♫♪ Okay, I have a project in one of my classes and I have to explain to the class how a tape recorder works. Can you check if my explanation is right? When you speak, sound waves are created and are measured in Hertz(Hz). These sound waves are electromagnetic microwaves. The top of the wave is positive and the bottom is negative. The sound waves travel to a metal diaphragm in the microphone, through the cord, through the circuit board and to an electromagnet that sits next to the tape. The electro magnet carries the message on magnetic flux lines and rearranges the metal oxides in the tape. When you want to play the message back, the same electro magnet that was used to record is now used to detect the pattern of the oxides on the tape, carry that pattern in electro magnetic waves on the circuit board, to the speaker. when the top (positive) part of the wave hits the metal coil in the speaker, the coil attracts itself and a sound is made when it connects. When the bottom part of the wave hits the coil, it repels itself. The attracting and repelling of the coil makes the sound you hear.

Best Answer: You have got things generally correct but what creates the sound is not the coil but the conical diaphragm which is connected to the coil. The coil is constrained in a very powerful magnetic field in a circular slot in a circular permanent magnet. The variation of the audio signal causes variation in the magnetic field of the coil. The reactions between the magnetic field of the coil and the permanent field of the magnet moves the diaphragm and this vibrates creating sound waves. - tomol

Report Abuse

Best Answers are selected by the person who asked the question or other Yahoo! users. Find out more at Yahoo! Answers.