Editing Reflective array antenna (section)

===Radio signals===
When a radio signal passes a conductor, it [[Electromagnetic induction|induces an electrical current]] in it. Since the radio signal fills space, and the conductor has a finite size, the induced currents add up or cancel out as they move along the conductor. A basic goal of antenna design is to make the currents add up to a maximum at the point where the energy is tapped off. To do this, the antenna elements are sized in relation to the wavelength of the radio signal, with the aim of setting up [[standing wave]]s of current that are maximized at the feed point.

This means that an antenna designed to receive a particular wavelength has a natural size. To improve reception, one cannot simply make the antenna larger; this will improve the amount of signal intercepted by the antenna, which is largely a function of area, but will lower the efficiency of the reception (at a given wavelength). Thus, in order to improve reception, antenna designers often use multiple elements, combining them together so their signals add up. These are known as ''[[Antenna array (electromagnetic)|antenna arrays]]''.