Mobile (cellular) networks

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Date:

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Quick Questions

Shade in the A or B circle for each question.

1. How does a mobile (cellular) network send data between your phone and the network?

A By radio signals to a nearby phone tower (cell)

B Through a cable plugged into your phone

2. Which statement about mobile networks is correct?

A They only work inside a home with a router

B They can work over wide areas without Wi-Fi

3. What is a 'cell' in a mobile network?

A The area covered by one phone tower

B A tiny battery inside your phone

4. You drive from one cell to the next while on a video call. What happens?

A Your phone connects to the next tower's signal

B Your phone must stay linked to the first tower forever

5. Which is true about 5G compared with 4G?

A 5G is always slower than 4G

B 5G is generally faster than 4G

Match the Pairs

Draw a line connecting each item on the left to its match on the right.

Left column		Right column
1cell tower		AA mobile network does not need a Wi-Fi router. The phone sends data by radio straight to a nearby tower (cell).
25G		BThe area is split into many cells, each with its own tower. One tower only covers a limited area nearby.
3A phone connects to the nearest tower in its cell, so it can get online without Wi-Fi		CA tall mast with radio equipment that sends and receives data to phones nearby
4A mobile data plan limits how much data a device can use over the mobile network each month		DA newer mobile network generation that sends data by radio faster than 4G
5phone -> Wi-Fi router -> mobile network		EdataPlan = 20 GB per month
6One tower covers the whole country		Fconnect(phone, nearestTower)

Definitions

mobile network

Fill in the Blanks

Complete each line of code by filling in the missing parts.

connect(phone, _____)

tower.covers(____)

generation = __ # faster and newer than 4G

dataLeft = planLimit _ dataUsed

__ wifi == "off": use("mobile network")

Spot the Error

Shade in the letter of the line that contains an error.

Question 1

A device ← phone

B tower ← farthest_tower(device)

C connect(device, tower)

Question 2

A network ← mobile

B link ← radio

C needs_wifi ← true

Question 3

A cell ← area_around(tower)

B IF device OUTSIDE cell THEN

C connect(device, tower)

D ENDIF

Question 4

A speed_5G ← 10

B speed_4G ← 100

C IF speed_5G > speed_4G THEN

D OUTPUT '5G is faster'

Question 5

A plan_GB ← 10

B used_GB ← 4

C left_GB ← plan_GB - used_GB

D OUTPUT 'Left: ', used_GB

Answer Key

Mobile (cellular) networks

Section A: Quick Questions

A — By radio signals to a nearby phone tower (cell)

B — They can work over wide areas without Wi-Fi

A — The area covered by one phone tower

A — Your phone connects to the next tower's signal

B — 5G is generally faster than 4G

Section B: Match the Pairs

cell tower → A tall mast with radio equipment that sends and receives data to phones nearby

5G → A newer mobile network generation that sends data by radio faster than 4G

A phone connects to the nearest tower in its cell, so it can get online without Wi-Fi → connect(phone, nearestTower)

A mobile data plan limits how much data a device can use over the mobile network each month → dataPlan = 20 GB per month

phone -> Wi-Fi router -> mobile network → A mobile network does not need a Wi-Fi router. The phone sends data by radio straight to a nearby tower (cell).

One tower covers the whole country → The area is split into many cells, each with its own tower. One tower only covers a limited area nearby.

Section C: Definitions

mobile network — A network that sends data by radio between a device and a nearby phone tower (cell), so it works over wide areas without Wi-Fi.

Section D: Fill in the Blanks

connect(phone, tower)

tower.covers(cell)

generation = 5G
# faster and newer than 4G

dataLeft = planLimit - dataUsed

if wifi == "off":
    use("mobile network")

Section E: Spot the Error

B — A phone connects by radio to the nearest tower, which gives the strongest signal. It should be nearest_tower(device).

C — A mobile network uses radio to a phone tower, so it does not need Wi-Fi. needs_wifi should be false.

B — A device can only connect to a tower when it is inside that tower's cell (its coverage area). The condition should be IF device IN cell THEN.

A — 5G is much faster than 4G, so its speed value should be bigger than the 4G value. speed_5G should be 1000, not 10.

D — The message says how much data is left, so it must output left_GB. It should not output used_GB.