Antennas explained
Looking at what the antenna does in a radio system
This activity gives students an opportunity to learn about antennas through the context of body centric communications.
Body centric wireless communications refers to human to human networking using technology. Body centric antennas (BCAs) have abundant applications in personal healthcare, smart homes, personal entertainment, identification systems, space exploration and military. This topic investigates the driving technology behind body centric communications, explores current health applications of these devices, possibilities for the future and the ethical issues surrounding these advancements.
This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3, supporting the teaching in science or design and technology (DT).
Activity: Looking at what antennas do in a radio system
In this activity students will complete tasks to consolidate their understanding of what the piece of metal called an aerial or antenna actually does in a radio system.
They’ll be given our 'Explaining Antennas' handout, which provides detailed information about antennas, their working mechanism, and the role of radio waves. Students will then answer questions based on the text, underlining specific sections in different colours. They will then create a flow chart to demonstrate the journey of a signal from radio waves in the air to a sound signal in a device.
Download our activity overview for a detailed lesson plan for teaching students about antennas.
The engineering context
Antennas are key components of radio communications, from mobile phones and Wi-Fi routers to radio masts and satellites. Telecommunications engineers will work with antennas daily so that the world can communicate, helping to improve signal reception, boost efficacy, reduce interference or to make innovative breakthroughs for the future.
Suggested learning outcomes
This activity will help students to understand how an antenna turns radio frequency radio radiation into a voltage (and vice versa). By the end of the lesson, they should be able to explain the role of antennas in electronic communications systems.
Download our activity sheet and other teaching resources
The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download, and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.
Download our classroom lesson plan and presentation below.
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