How Does GPS Work?

GPS (global positioning system) plays a very important role in all of our lives. From allowing you to see where you are on the planet, to helping you get to destinations quickly, GPS has evolved the way in which we live our lives.

Find out how GPS works, some of the roles things such as our own atmosphere has in reducing the accuracy of GPS and also how general relativity effects GPS accuracy too.

Sources:

Basics of the GPS technique: Observation Equations by Geoffrey Blewitt

The influence of the ionosphere on GPS operations by Mihail Codrescu

GPS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) by USCG Navigation Center

GPS.gov: Space Segment

GPS: Global Positioning System | Niels Bohr Institute - University of Copenhagen

GPS and Galileo Satellite Coordinates Computation

Understanding the Global Positioning System (GPS) by Diana Cooksey

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[rozalinabitzoidou]

I have to say that out of all the videos I watched about GPS this one was by far the best and the most informative. Great job and thank you, you saved my essay!

[sashayakubov]

As opposed to other videos, this one explains everything I needed to know on the topic, in particular “how does it detect the position if my phone doesn’t send the signal”. Also, I loved the drawings that explain why we need 4 satellites (I thought 3 is enough, but with 3 you have 2 possible locations) thank you!

[purdysanchez]

This is by far the most accurate short format explanation I have seen on the subject.

[saturnx]

I think this is the best video on GPS! Short but extremely informative. Trilateration.

[AERIALPHOTO]

Excellent excellent excellent description of how GPS works. And you talked so fast that nobody got bored

[moha]

This was a really useful video. I've actually talked to friends before about GPS's and no one seems to really understand why they work, so this really helped to clear it up!

[sciBRIGHT]

Hey guys! Has been a while. Here's a new video looking at how GPS works. I'll also be putting a new video up hopefully in the next 48 hours or so, so look out for that!

[bernd]

googling for an explanatory video should lead you to this one first, not that terrible screaming wannabe-entertainer. thx fpr the solid info!

[dontennakoon]

Very well explained. You know what you are talking about. Well done mate.

[HasanZobaer]

You deserve MUCH MUCH more subscribers! Really well explained quality video, keep up the good work

[justicejordan]

All this "Science" then a random self-proclaimed scientist will say the Earth is FLAT.

[fireskycam]

Very well done.
You explain it so simply. Although you show the long mathematical equations it is easy to understand that we don't need to understand them fully, just grasp the theory behind it.

[aypleckduminecraft]

Thanks for this great insight ! But this leaves me with two questions : 1. How do satellites know their exact position relative to earth and 2. How does your phone calculate the time it took for the signal to travel without knowing the current time with the precision of an atomic clock ?

[anirudhnair]

This is an AMAZIGN video! Thank you!!!!

[itsmeprad]

Brilliant video! This deserves instant subscribe!

[prudvi]

I'm watching this video to prepare for my finals and has helped me a lot!!

[snapeyvape]

This is a really good quality channel!

[nonaeldaly]

Hi, im actually an IB student curretly doing one of my research papers on the use of mathematics and physics in navigation . Though I don't actually take physics so i am a little bit confused . Your explanation is very clear, it is just that i don't really know where the numbers in the relativity and the general relativity equations came from :( if you actually do see this by some miracle, please help 😭

[renanmelo]

sciBRIGHT! Awesome video!

I'm searching videos about GPS at YouTube and your`s is very good. Thanks!

There are 2 points that i'd like to comment:

1) When you said that sattelites' clock goes faster than clocks at the Earth, you wrote "slower". It got a little difficult to understand.

2) To calculate the distance we do d=v*t. But, if the sattelites are moving (since they're not geostationary), the speed of light should depend on the sattelite's velocity (classical mechanics). Therefore, when we use d=v*t regardless of sattelite's movement, we're already using Relativity :)

Thanks!

[orrdry]

Audio sounds really good on this video, nice job scibright