acoustic modem
- noun
- /əˈkuːstɪk ˈmoʊdɛm/
- Archaic
:
módem acústico
- The acoustic modem translates digital information into audible sounds for telephone transmission.
Examples
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In the early days of computing, many people connected to networks using an acoustic modem.
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Before digital lines, an acoustic modem was essential for remote data access.
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The acoustic modem allows for internet access via phone lines.
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Can you explain how the acoustic modem works?
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An acoustic modem converts digital signals into sounds that can be transmitted over a phone line.
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During the 1990s, I used an acoustic modem to connect my computer to the internet through a standard telephone jack.
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The acoustic modem allows users to send and receive data by transforming electrical signals into audible tones.
Synonyms
45
3.5
A device that connects a computer to the internet or other networks
How Modern
1
3.3
- Specialized
3
6.0
38
3.3
- Archaic
- Archaic
1
6.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is transparently built from 'acoustic' (relating to sound) modifying 'modem' (a device for transmitting data), so a learner can infer it is a modem that works via sound/tones. Although somewhat technical, the adjective+noun composition follows ordinary English patterns and is cross-linguistically obvious, so a B1 learner who knows both words can grasp the meaning.
Etymology
Acoustic modem comes from its parts: acoustic means 'sound' and modem is a device that sends data, because the unit turned digital information into real sounds. People used to put a phone handset into the modem and hear little beeps that travelled down the line, so the name explains its job of sending data over a phone as sound.