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Article: The language of dots and dashes.
- Article from:
- Fun For Kidz
- Article date:
- September 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Bluffton News Printing & Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Morse code is a system of dots, dashes, and spaces used to send messages. Each pattern of dots and dashes stands for a different letter or number. Samuel Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, developed the system.
The telegraph used electricity traveling through wire, a type of on/off switch called a "key," a receiver containing electromagnets, and a sounding bar. The sending telegraph operator closed and opened the key to send Morse code in short and long patterns of electric current to the receiver. The receiver made clicking and clacking sounds with short and long pauses. The receiving operator identified the sounds as the code for letters and wrote out the ...