FORGOTTEN SCIENCE
Welcome! 
So you found our posters!
Congratulations! You found our poster. And if you’re curious about the little black-
and-white square on it, yep! That’s the tech we’re going to talk about.
Say hello to the QR code!
QR stands for Quick Response, and it’s basically a way to store information. Its like a link to a webpage, in a tiny square made up of black and white patterns. Think of it like barcode on steroids.
So, what actually happens when you scan a QR code?
When you use your phone’s camera to scan a QR code, it reads the pattern of squares and turns it into data. That data could be a URL, some text, a phone number, whatever the creator of the code put in. If it’s a URL, your phone automatically opens the link in your browser. Fast and easy!
Okay, but how does that weird square hold information?
The pattern of squares in a QR code is not random, it’s designed to encode data in binary (that’s 1s and 0s, computer language). Some areas of the code are used to tell your phone how to read the data, like orientation and alignment. The rest of the space holds the actual information. QR codes can store a lot, up to 7,000 digits or over 4,000 characters!
So, where did QR codes come from?
They were invented in 1994 by a Japanese company called Denso Wave, originally to track parts in car factories. But as smartphone cameras got better, people realised QR codes could be used in everyday life, no fancy scanner needed.
And now? You see QR codes everywhere, restaurant menus, ticket check-ins, mobile payments, and even posters like this one. They're used because they’re fast, flexible, and easy to scan. Even when part of the code is damaged or smudged, your phone can still read it. Pretty neat, right?
We see them all the time, but most of us don’t stop to think about the smart tech behind that little square. Next time you scan a QR code, you’ll know there’s a whole system working in the background to make it that simple. And that’s what we call a quick response!
Say hello to the QR code!
QR stands for Quick Response, and it’s basically a way to store information. Its like a link to a webpage, in a tiny square made up of black and white patterns. Think of it like barcode on steroids.
So, what actually happens when you scan a QR code?
When you use your phone’s camera to scan a QR code, it reads the pattern of squares and turns it into data. That data could be a URL, some text, a phone number, whatever the creator of the code put in. If it’s a URL, your phone automatically opens the link in your browser. Fast and easy!
Okay, but how does that weird square hold information?
The pattern of squares in a QR code is not random, it’s designed to encode data in binary (that’s 1s and 0s, computer language). Some areas of the code are used to tell your phone how to read the data, like orientation and alignment. The rest of the space holds the actual information. QR codes can store a lot, up to 7,000 digits or over 4,000 characters!
So, where did QR codes come from?
They were invented in 1994 by a Japanese company called Denso Wave, originally to track parts in car factories. But as smartphone cameras got better, people realised QR codes could be used in everyday life, no fancy scanner needed.
And now? You see QR codes everywhere, restaurant menus, ticket check-ins, mobile payments, and even posters like this one. They're used because they’re fast, flexible, and easy to scan. Even when part of the code is damaged or smudged, your phone can still read it. Pretty neat, right?
We see them all the time, but most of us don’t stop to think about the smart tech behind that little square. Next time you scan a QR code, you’ll know there’s a whole system working in the background to make it that simple. And that’s what we call a quick response!
Layout made by Itinerae.
Sources:
QR Code.com (2025) QR Code Essentials. https://www.qrcode.com/en/about/
Tsuda, M. (2016) The Story of QR Code: How a Square Changed the World. Nikkei BP Publishing.
Péladeau, P. (2021) How QR Codes Work. HowStuffWorks. https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/qr-code.htm
All gifs sourced from GIPHY
Scrolling text and Star warp effect by RV