eli5: How do noise cancelling headphones work with the flick of a switch?

Question

eli5: How do noise cancelling headphones work with the flick of a switch?

In: Technology

Answer 1

There’s a microphone on the outside that picks up noise. On the inside you have the speaker playing what you want to hear. When you turn it on, it also starts playing the opposite of the sounds that the microphone is picking up, thereby cancelling those sounds.