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How does your smartphone know your location? - Wilton L. Virgo

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GPS location apps on a smartphone can be very handy when mapping a travel route or finding nearby events. But how does your smartphone know where you are? Wilton L. Virgo explains how the answer lies 12,000 miles over your head, in an orbiting satellite that keeps time to the beat of an atomic clock powered by quantum mechanics.

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  • Educator Wilton L. Virgo
  • Animator Nick Hilditch
  • Script Editor Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
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by TED-Ed

Many GPS applications are used for mapping and directions. What other uses for GPS can you think of?

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Avatar for roy balicas
Lesson completed

GPS application can embedded to different kind technologies that needs realtime tracking system


Avatar for Christopher Thomas
Lesson completed

Well, GPS is a standard device that shows your location and can also pin point your other location as well. A GPS can be a life saver in times of dangerous situations. A Tesla is also a self-driving GPS car as well. The creation of a Tesla was to to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. A Tesla uses GPS standards to drive and pin point locations in what the host desires.


Avatar for Gilberto Moreno
Lesson completed

GPS is often used to find lost items.


Avatar for Tommy Vuong
Lesson in progress

It can be used to allow more technology to be used by it self


Avatar for Stanley Golphin
Lesson completed

You can get a customized device suitable for a particular use, or you can simply utilize your smartphone's internal GPS for general purposes.


Avatar for Ethan Vasquez
Lesson in progress

Some other uses ways we can use a GPS is to try to manipulate cars so they don't pass a red light or create a car crash, or if someone goes missing we can track down there phone and find the kidnapper.


Avatar for Jorja Smith
Lesson completed

The only other thing I could think about for GPS would be, so people with "Find my I Phone" know where you are.


Avatar for Paul Throesch
Lesson completed

in response to meo sw Show comment

i agree with that that it can be used to help find some on the is missing or anything else


Avatar for 지욱 장
Lesson completed

Yes thanks for science developing we can make or do lots of things with GPS system.


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