They're invisible to us, because they don't react with us. Well, you can kind of think of radio waves like invisible ocean waves. Think of the waves in the ocean: they can push you around because each wave has its own kinetic force. While you may think of radio waves and electricity as being different, they're actually the same phenomenon! Radio waves are just fluctuations in the electromagnetic fields that surround us at all times. In reality, it's a lot more complicated than that, and like water, electricity has waves, currents, and other characteristics that govern its various attributes.

We often think of electricity as water, flowing out of our electrical sockets as needed. Well, 'power' can mean a lot of different things. Some of you may be familiar with Nikola Tesla's experiments in providing the world with wireless power. Yes, the invisible waves that constantly surround and penetrate you are strong enough to power a simple radio. That's because radio waves are, for all intents and purposes, wireless power. The reason you need a good antenna is because the more antenna you have, the more power your set will receive, and the louder it will be. Your coil (which I'll be talking about later) can function as sort of an ad-hoc antenna, but for the best results, you need a good antenna. With a crystal set, it's important to have an antenna.

Yeah, that's really all you need!īefore I get into explaining what they are and what purpose they serve, let me tell you a little bit about how the whole arrangement works. You may notice that there are only four parts.

Building a crystal in crystalmaker