Transmissions

Transmission is the act of sending or passing something from one place, thing, or person to another. In different fields, the term covers mechanisms for transferring energy, signals, or information.

In mechanical engineering, a transmission connects the engine to the drivetrain to control speed and torque. Common types include manual transmissions with gear trains, automatic transmissions with hydraulic or electronically controlled gear changes, and continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) that provide a continuous range of gear ratios. Planetary gearsets are frequently used in automatic designs, and torque converters provide torque multiplication and slip.

In communications and electronics, transmissions refer to conveying information over mediums such as copper wires, fiber optics, or air. This includes radio, television, telephone, and data networks. Key concepts include modulation, encoding, bandwidth, latency, and error correction. Technologies range from wireless cellular networks to fiber-optic backbones and satellite links.

In biology, transmission denotes how a pathogen moves from one host to another, through direct contact, droplets, vectors, or environmental reservoirs. Understanding transmission dynamics is central to epidemiology and informs control and prevention measures.