The telephone differed from the telegraph primarily in the type of communication it enabled and how it was used:
- The telephone allowed for voice communication over a distance, enabling people to speak directly to each other in real time. In contrast, the telegraph transmitted messages using Morse code, a series of dots and dashes representing letters and numbers, which required sending and receiving operators to encode and decode messages
- The telephone permitted instant, two-way conversations, while the telegraph was limited to sending one message at a time and required operators skilled in Morse code to send and receive messages
- The telephone quickly became widely used in homes and businesses for personal and professional communication, expanding beyond the office environment. The telegraph was generally used more in offices and by trained operators to send telegrams
- Technologically, the telephone converted sound waves into electrical signals and back into sound, allowing voice transmission. The telegraph only sent electrical pulses representing coded text
In summary, the key difference is that the telephone allowed for instant voice communication over distance, unlike the telegraph which was text-based and operator-dependent
. The telephone's ability to carry voice made it a more direct and personal communication tool, leading to its rapid adoption beyond just office use
. Therefore, the correct distinctions are:
- The telephone allowed for instant communication over a distance.
- The telephone allowed for voice communication over a distance.
The other statements about telephone use only in offices or only by trained operators apply more to the telegraph era and early telephone exchanges, but were not defining differences
