Traffic Lights

How does Traffic Signal Works?

Have you ever wondered how traffic signals function? The traffic signals have 4 states:

• No Lights
• Red Light – STOP
• Yellow Light – LOOK
• Green Light – GO

The lights cycle through green, yellow, and red at regular intervals to control road intersections’ traffic flow.

The traffic signals work in sync to prevent accidents and help to avoid congestion on the roads.

Behind the Scenes

Few lines of code running in the background drive the traffic lights. The code changes the traffic signals to show different colors at regular intervals.

Sometimes it is even smarter, where the code detects congestion based on sensors and maximizes efficiency by only functioning when traffic is present.

Application of Coding

Most of us knowingly or unknowingly engage with programming, be it inside our homes or outside. Coding, in the modern world, can be seen on the streets, at the schools, at the local grocery stores, etc. Some of the practical examples of coding in the real world are:

• Interaction with bar-code scanners at shopping store
• Automatic control of traffic using traffic lights
• Booking movie, bus, train, flight tickets online
• Printers
• Computer software we use like web browser, Word, etc.
• Video games and animations for entertainment