🔍 Key Concepts

• Carbon microphones: how they work (changing resistance with sound pressure) • Trade-offs between output level, sensitivity, and cost in basic microphone designs • What “single-button” construction might imply about complexity and price

💭 Think About

• Think about what carbon microphones were historically valued for on older ship radios and sound-powered circuits: was it performance, price, or both? • Does a simple construction with few parts usually improve sensitivity, output, cost, or some combination? • If a microphone design has one clear advantage that made it popular in early communications, would all performance aspects be superior, or mainly one of them?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be clear on what “sensitivity” means (how much electrical signal you get for a given sound level). • Consider whether a simple single-button design would naturally give higher output voltage, or if that might be limited by the technology. • Ask yourself if low cost alone was often cited as the primary reason for using carbon microphones in older communication systems.