The Story of Cell Phones

We didn’t always have cell phones. But that changed in 1973. That year, engineer Martin Cooper invented the first truly mobile phone. To celebrate, he used a test model to call a rival engineer while walking down a New York City street.

Cooper’s phone went on sale in the U.S. in 1984. Called the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x, the phone measured more than a foot long. It weighed 1.8 pounds—more than the weight of 5 of the latest iPhones combined.

Early phones were a lot like landline phones. You could just talk. There was no texting, internet access, or games. The battery lasted only 30 minutes.

Over the years, more features became available. In 1993, you could text on some phones. In 1994, a Tetris-like game became the first to appear on a mobile phone. By 1999, you could use some phones to go online.

Tech companies started adding cameras to phones in 2002. This paved the way for apps like Instagram. 

Today, there are more than 7 billion cell phones in use around the world.

We didn’t always have cell phones. But that changed in 1973. That year, engineer Martin Cooper invented the first truly mobile phone. He wanted to celebrate. He called a rival engineer with a test model while walking down a New York City street.

Cooper’s phone went on sale in the U.S. in 1984. It was called the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x. The phone measured more than a foot long. It weighed 1.8 pounds. That’s more than the weight of five of the latest iPhones combined.

Early phones were a lot like landline phones. You could just talk. There was no texting. There was no internet access or games. The battery lasted only 30 minutes.

Over the years, more features became available. In 1993, you could text on some phones. In 1994, a Tetris-like game became the first to appear on a mobile phone. By 1999, you could use some phones to go online.

Tech companies started adding cameras to phones in 2002. This paved the way for apps like Instagram.

Today, there are more than 7 billion cell phones in use around the world. 

Use the chart “Weights of Select Mobile Phones” to make a pictograph showing the weights of the phones listed. Use the scale 1 picto = 2 ounces.

Use the chart “Weights of Select Mobile Phones” to make a pictograph showing the weights of the phones listed. Use the scale 1 picto = 2 ounces.

In your pictograph from number 1, do any phone models have fractional pictos? Explain.

In your pictograph from number 1, do any phone models have fractional pictos? Explain.

Which phone model is half the weight of a 1989 Motorola Microtac?

Which phone model is half the weight of a 1989 Motorola Microtac?

True or false: More than one-third of people in Australia think it is important to always be reachable.

True or false: More than one-third of people in Australia think it is important to always be reachable.

In which country do more than half the respondents say that it’s important to always be reachable?

In which country do more than half the respondents say that it’s important to always be reachable?

On the line graph, what do the values on the y-axis represent?

A. percent of adults in the U.S. who own a
smartphone

B. age group of young people

C. year

D. percent of children and adults in the U.S. who own a smartphone

On the line graph, what do the values on the y-axis represent?

A. percent of adults in the U.S. who own a
smartphone

B. age group of young people

C. year

D. percent of children and adults in the U.S. who own a smartphone

Which of the following is the definition of the word percent?

A. a fraction of a whole

B. part of a hundred

C. a sum of two decimals

D. the difference between 1 and 100

Which of the following is the definition of the word percent?

A. a fraction of a whole

B. part of a hundred

C. a sum of two decimals

D. the difference between 1 and 100

Between which two years did the percentage of U.S. adults who own a smartphone stay roughly the same?

A. between 2011 and 2012

B. between 2012 and 2013

C. between 2013 and 2014

D. between 2015 and 2016

Between which two years did the percentage of U.S. adults who own a smartphone stay roughly the same?

A. between 2011 and 2012

B. between 2012 and 2013

C. between 2013 and 2014

D. between 2015 and 2016

A student says that a greater percentage of teens own smartphones than kids and preteens combined. Does the bar graph about phone ownership show this?

A student says that a greater percentage of teens own smartphones than kids and preteens combined. Does the bar graph about phone ownership show this?

Let’s say a fourth-grade class has  24 students. The class took a poll and found that 6 students have a cell phone. Divide 6 by the total number of students, then multiply by 100. The result is the percent of students in this class who own a cell phone. What is this percentage?

Let’s say a fourth-grade class has  24 students. The class took a poll and found that 6 students have a cell phone. Divide 6 by the total number of students, then multiply by 100. The result is the percent of students in this class who own a cell phone. What is this percentage?

How does this compare with the data on the phone ownership bar graph?

How does this compare with the data on the phone ownership bar graph?