A microphone, colloquially called a mic (/maɪk/),[1] or mike,[a] is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and public events, motion picture production, live and recorded audio engineering, sound recording, two-way radios, megaphones, and radio and television broadcasting. They are also used in computers and other electronic devices, such as mobile phones, for recording sounds, speech recognition, VoIP, and other purposes, such as ultrasonic sensors or knock sensors.
Several types of microphone are used today, which employ different methods to convert the air pressure variations of a sound wave to an electrical signal. The most common are the dynamic microphone, which uses a coil of wire suspended in a magnetic field; the condenser microphone, which uses the vibrating diaphragm as a capacitor plate; and the contact microphone, which uses a crystal of piezoelectric material. Microphones typically need to be connected to a preamplifier before the signal can be recorded or reproduced.
- ^ Zimmer, Ben (July 29, 2010). "How Should 'Microphone' be Abbreviated?". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
- ^ Okrent, Arika (July 20, 2015). "Is a Microphone a 'Mic' or a 'Mike'?". Mental Floss. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Abadi, Mark (November 20, 2017). "Everyone is blasting Trump for writing 'mike' instead of 'mic' — but here's why Trump is right". Business Insider. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
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