wireless communication. How does the signal know where to go? How is data transmitted through air?
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Radio and light are both electromagnetic radiation. There are some differences due to the different wavelengths but for a lot of things they are very similar.
How does light know where to go? It doesn’t, it goes in all directions. Or if you put a lens/reflector around the bulb you can make a small patch of light.
The radio equivalent is the antenna, some are designed to send Radio signals equally in all directions, some to send a narrow beam in only one direction.
How is data transmitted? By varying the radio signal. The most basic system would be the equivalent of turning a light on and off, the radio version of signal lights on ships.
This turns out to be a very inefficient way to send data. It’s better to use AM modulation (varying the brightness), FM modulation (varying the colour) or a number of other more complicated methods that don’t have easy to explain equivalents.
How do lots of radio signals travel at the same time? This is done in a number of ways. By taking turns and by each transmitter using a different colour light are two common and easy to understand methods. There are again other more complex methods that are also used.
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