How Does GPS Know Your Location?

Ajouté : 2026-06-07

[00:00:00]See, your phone shows the exact location within seconds, but no wire connects it to space satellites above Earth. Right now, 24 GPS satellites orbit at 20,000 km altitude, continuously broadcasting radio signals toward every point on Earth. Your phone receives signals from a minimum of four satellites, each signal carrying satellites exact position and precise timestamp data.

[00:00:25]Radio waves travel at light speed, so your phone calculates distance to each satellite by measuring signal travel time.

[00:00:32]Using four satellite distances, your phone applies trilateration mathematics and pinpoints your exact location within just 5 m accuracy.

[00:00:41]This entire calculation completes in milliseconds, which is why GPS tracks you perfectly even while driving at 100 km speed.

[00:00:49]If you are curious to learn why things are the way they are, subscribe to Zen Floral Code and keep discovering.