Function

• Transducers first must receive energy in one form in order to work. Depending on where the transducer is and what its purpose is, this energy could be just about anything. Typically, however, it is electricity, which is then converted into another energy so that object the transducer is in can perform its function. When the energy is received, the transducer is programmed to change it into another energy. This can be auditory, or photonic. Most transducers can reverse the process and revert the energy back into its original form.
  
  

Identification

• A transducer is fairly easy to identify as long as you know what you are looking for. They are typically hooked up to a wire, which may or may not be clearly visible depending on how the transducer is set up. This wire runs into and out of the transducer. The main body of the transducer has a layer of electrodes that gathers and send energy, and is mostly made up of a supporting backing filler. The entire thing is covered in a plastic cap, which protects the transducer from damage.
  
  

Types

• There are many different types of transducers, depending on what they are used for. Electromagnetic transducers include tape heads and antennas. Electromechanical transducers are motors that convert electricity into mechanical energy. Electroaucustic transducers are found in microphones and speakers, converting electrical energy that represents music or sound into auditory energy, or vice versa. There are also photoelectric transducers which convert electricity into light.
  
  

Benefits

• The benefits that transducers offer are as varied as the devices they are found in. Transducers allow for some of the most important operations to occur in common household items as well as more complex machinery. Light bulbs, for example, are able to work because of transducers, which convert electricity into heat and then into light. Communication, sound and television equipment also all run thanks to transducers. The same goes for heavy machinery that can be found making other important objects.
  
  

Considerations

• It is important to understand that not all transducers run on the same efficiency. This is because there will always be some energy lost when converting energy from one form to another. The most efficient transducers are found in communication equipment. Electrical motors, which are very common in many things, run at about half efficiency, meaning they lose half of the full amount of energy taken in during conversion. Light bulbs are an example of the least efficient transducers, running at only 10 percent efficiency because of the large amount of heat lost in creating light.