# cell phone vibrators **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 9, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485 "2009-04-09T07:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iamlegion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ba9def/32.png) [@iamlegion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamlegion)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/1 "2009-04-09T07:39:37Z")
my cell phone vibrates clockwise on a hard surface placed face up. it also vibrates clockwise face down. every cell phone i have come across reacts in the same manner regardless of brand or carrier. does this have anything to do with the earth’s magnetic field? I am in north america. will it react oppositely in a southern hemisphere? ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/2 "2009-04-09T13:16:40Z")
Is this in response to a particular column? Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/3 "2009-04-09T13:17:55Z")
\ Moved to General Questions. COCC \> GQ \ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/4 "2009-04-09T13:18:41Z")
It’s just a motor with an off center weight. Magnetic fields have nothing to do with it, it’s just how the motor is oriented in the phone. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykpa5r1bWeE) ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/5 "2009-04-09T13:26:26Z")
Telemark you beat me to it. I was going to reference a howstuffworks article though. > **[How does a vibrating cell phone or pager work?](https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question368.htm)** > > I have both a pager and a cell phone that vibrate instead of ringing when I get a call. How does that work? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/6 "2009-04-09T14:32:31Z")
wow, this question was NOT what I thought it would be. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/7 "2009-04-09T15:00:34Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > It’s just a motor with an off center weight. Magnetic fields have nothing to do with it, it’s just how the motor is oriented in the phone. So why does the phone turn the same direction when lying on the back and the front? If the direction was due to the motor alone, the direction would reverse when the phone is turned over. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-vibrators/492485/8 "2009-04-13T15:10:33Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > So why does the phone turn the same direction when lying on the back and the front? If the direction was due to the motor alone, the direction would reverse when the phone is turned over. In the HowStuff link, the axis of Tickle-Me-Elmo’s® eccentric weight is front-to-back. That would reverse the rotation when you turn over the toy. Your cell-phone’s eccentric’s axis is probably top-to-bottom, so the rotation does not change when you turn it over.