How do headphones work? (As in how does electricity get turned into sound)
In: Technology
There are three key physical parts to a speaker. A permanent magnet, an electromagnet or “voice coil” (which is only magnetic when a current is being passed through it) and a diaphragm. It works like a [wave machine](https://media.giphy.com/media/fnEofBYPhcBBBxvieO/giphy.gif) except it makes waves in the air instead of water. The shorter the space inbetween the waves (frequency), the higher pitched the sound will be. The bigger the waves are (amplitude), the louder the sound will be.
In order to make a wave, an electrical pulse is sent through the electromagnet, which pushes/pulls it away/towards the permanent magnet. The diaphragm, [which is what you see when you think of a speaker](http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/webproj/212_spring_2017/Jesse_Drick/Jesse_Drick/giphy.gif), is attached to this and is pushed/pulled along with the electromagnet. The large area of the diaphragm creates the waves in the air which are the sounds you hear. The opposite happens in your ear. Your ear drum takes these waves in the air, transmits them to your inner ear as vibrations, which your cochlea converts into electrical signals that are sent to your brain.
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