06-16-2026, 02:03 AM
GPS
BY Bartosz Ciechanowski
Summry
The article is a highly interactive, visual explanation of how GPS works, starting from simple intuition and gradually building up to the full satellite-based system. It begins by showing how location can be determined on a flat surface using distances to known landmarks (trilateration), then extends this idea by introducing time-of-flight measurements, where signals from emitters act like “clocks in space.”
This leads to the key insight that GPS must account for unsynchronized receiver clocks, introducing a time bias that is solved alongside position using multiple satellite signals. The explanation then expands into three dimensions, where distances define spheres instead of circles, requiring at least four satellites to uniquely determine both position and time.
Finally, the article connects these ideas to real GPS infrastructure, explaining why satellites are placed in orbit, why radio waves are used instead of sound, and how orbital mechanics and the speed of light make global positioning possible.
ARTICLE PAGE
BY Bartosz Ciechanowski
Summry
The article is a highly interactive, visual explanation of how GPS works, starting from simple intuition and gradually building up to the full satellite-based system. It begins by showing how location can be determined on a flat surface using distances to known landmarks (trilateration), then extends this idea by introducing time-of-flight measurements, where signals from emitters act like “clocks in space.”
This leads to the key insight that GPS must account for unsynchronized receiver clocks, introducing a time bias that is solved alongside position using multiple satellite signals. The explanation then expands into three dimensions, where distances define spheres instead of circles, requiring at least four satellites to uniquely determine both position and time.
Finally, the article connects these ideas to real GPS infrastructure, explaining why satellites are placed in orbit, why radio waves are used instead of sound, and how orbital mechanics and the speed of light make global positioning possible.
ARTICLE PAGE
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