GPS stands for Global Positioning System, a satellite navigation system. GPS technology is now very common. It’s used all over the world to pinpoint your exact location! GPS uses 24 satellites in fixed orbits around the Earth. Anywhere on the Earth, there are always at least six satellites in range for a GPS device to interact with. For example, say we had a GPS receiver on Earth, here. This is how we would find its location:
• A signal travels from satellite A to the receiver. The receiver can calculate the distance between these two. It calculates the distance by multiplying the speed of the signal by the time it takes to arrive at the receiver.
• The radio signal travels at the speed of light, and in this example it takes 0.001 seconds to arrive, so we can work out that the satellite is 300 kilometers from the receiver. Theoretically, though, the receiver could be 300 kilometers from the satellite in any direction.
• Two more satellites, B and C, are needed to figure out the exact location.
• If the receiver is moving, repeating this measuring process over time can track its progress.
GPS is used with different computer programs to run transport systems, quickly respond to natural disasters, and manage military operations. But it is more often used to find the nearest café!
• A signal travels from satellite A to the receiver. The receiver can calculate the distance between these two. It calculates the distance by multiplying the speed of the signal by the time it takes to arrive at the receiver.
• The radio signal travels at the speed of light, and in this example it takes 0.001 seconds to arrive, so we can work out that the satellite is 300 kilometers from the receiver. Theoretically, though, the receiver could be 300 kilometers from the satellite in any direction.
• Two more satellites, B and C, are needed to figure out the exact location.
• If the receiver is moving, repeating this measuring process over time can track its progress.
GPS is used with different computer programs to run transport systems, quickly respond to natural disasters, and manage military operations. But it is more often used to find the nearest café!
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