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Skip Distance for Dummies

noun

pronunciation: skɪp_'dɪstəns

What does Skip Distance really mean?

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Skip distance is a term that refers to the length between a radio wave's transmitter and the point on the Earth's surface where it is first received. Picture yourself standing on the beach and throwing a stone into the water. As soon as it hits the surface, ripples start forming and move outwards. Now, let's say you're standing a little distance away from where the stone hit the water. You might notice that you don't feel the impact as strongly as someone standing right beside the point of impact. That's because the water waves have to travel a certain distance before reaching you, and by then, their strength has reduced.

Well, radio waves also behave in a similar way, but instead of water ripples, we have radio signals. Just like the water waves, radio signals spread out in all directions from the transmitter, trying to reach as many receivers as possible. However, as they move away from the transmitter, radio waves begin to spread out and lose their strength. That's when we refer to skip distance.

Imagine you're driving in a car, playing your favorite radio station. Now, there might be a point where the radio signal suddenly becomes faint or disappears entirely, right? That's because the skip distance has been reached. As the radio waves travel further away from the transmitter, they encounter various obstacles, like buildings, hills, and even the curvature of the Earth. These obstacles interfere with the radio signal and cause it to weaken and lose its strength, resulting in the skip distance.

But what happens if the radio waves encounter an obstacle that is reflective, like a mountain range or a tall building? In this case, instead of losing strength or disappearing, the radio waves get reflected or bounced back towards the Earth's surface. Just like when you throw a ball against a wall in a game of catch, it bounces back towards you. This bouncing back of radio waves is what we call skip distance.

So, to sum it up in simple terms, skip distance is the distance between the transmitter and the farthest point where a radio signal can still be received on the Earth's surface. It's like the reach of a radio wave, determined by the obstacles it encounters and whether it gets absorbed or reflected back towards us. So the next time you experience a loss in radio signal, remember that the skip distance might be the culprit!

Revised and Fact checked by Steven Jackson on 2023-10-28 18:14:08

Skip Distance In a sentece

Learn how to use Skip Distance inside a sentece

  • When playing jump rope, the skip distance is the space between the rope and the ground as you jump over it.
  • In a long jump, the skip distance is how far you move forward after taking off from the starting point.
  • When throwing a frisbee, the skip distance is the distance it glides across the ground before coming to a stop.
  • When skipping stones on water, the skip distance is the distance each stone travels before sinking.
  • In a game of hopscotch, the skip distance is the number of squares you have to jump over to reach a specific one.

Skip Distance Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.