Western Electric rotary dial telephone, 1930-1934

This activity can be used to introduce the unit, or as a part of a science history lesson. The physical appearance of the telephone has changed greatly since its invention, up to and including the smartphone. However, the fundamental science behind it has remained the same.

In this activity, students will look for similarities between phones they know today, and those used in the past, and will collaborate to explore how the phone has evolved over time.


Rotary phone
Push-button telephone
Switchboard
Acoustic telephone
Ericofon
Answering machine
Satellite phone
Videophone/ teleconferencing
Party line

Samsung (Galaxy)
Apple (iPhone)
Google Pixel
Google Glass
Firefly Mobile
Kisa Phone
Tracfone
Jitterbug
Huawei
Xiaomi
OPPO

1.      What is the purpose of a telephone? Has the meaning of “phone” remained the same over the years?

2.      What did people expect from a telephone that was purchased in 1910? 1950? 2000? 2020?

3.      What kinds of language cues and descriptors were used in vintage advertising vs. today?

4.      How has the shape of the human hand and head influenced the shape of phones? Why aren’t they shaped the way they used to be? What ways has the new shape made phones more comfortable to hold?

5.      What kinds of factors influence the price of a phone, aside from inflation? How does this relate to what we now expect a phone to be able to do?

6.      How do you think phones will continue to evolve? What features will die out in the future, and which ones might arise?

Standards for Times Gone By