SECTION 7.

6 PRACTICE SET 209

shielded twisted-pair (STP) twisted-pair cable

single-mode fiber unguided medium
sky propagation unidirectional antenna
straight-tip (ST) connector unshielded twisted-pair
subscriber channel (SC) connector (UTP)
transmission medium wireless communication

7.5 SUMMARY
o Transmission media lie below the physical layer.
D A guided medium provides a physical conduit from one device to another. Twisted-
pair cable, coaxial cable, and optical fiber are the most popular types of guided
media.
D Twisted-pair cable consists of two insulated copper wires twisted together. Twisted-
pair cable is used for voice and data communications.
D Coaxial cable consists of a central conductor and a shield. Coaxial cable can carry
signals of higher frequency ranges than twisted-pair cable. Coaxial cable is used in
cable TV networks and traditional Ethernet LAN
o Fiber-optic cables are composed of a glass or plastic inner core surrounded by
cladding, all encased in an outside jacket. Fiber-optic cables carry data signals in
the form of light. The signal is propagated along the inner core by reflection. Fiber-
optic transmission is becoming increasingly popular due to its noise resistance, low
attenuation, and high-bandwidth capabilities. Fiber-optic cable is used in backbone
networks, cable TV networks, and Fast Ethernet networks.
D Unguided media (free space) transport electromagnetic waves without the use of a
physical conductor.
o Wireless data are transmitted through ground propagation, sky propagation, and line-
of-sight propagation.Wireless waves can be classified as radio waves, microwaves, or
infrared waves. Radio waves are omnidirectional; microwaves are unidirectional.
Microwaves are used for cellular phone, satellite, and wireless LAN communications.
D Infrared waves are used for short-range communications such as those between a
PC and a peripheral device. can also be used for indoor LANs.

7.6 PRACTICE SET

Review Questions
What is the position of the transmission media in the OSI or the Internet model?
2. Name the two major categories of transmission media.
3. How do guided media differ from unguided media?
4. What are the three major classes of guided media?
5. What is the significance of the twisting in twisted-pair cable?
210 CHAPTER 7 TRANSMISSION MEDIA

6. What is refraction? What is reflection?

7. What is the purpose of cladding in an optical fiber?
8. Name the advantages of optical fiber over twisted-pair and coaxial cable.
9. How does sky propagation differ from line-of-sight propagation?
10. What is the difference between omnidirectional waves and unidirectional waves?

Exercises
11. Using Figure 7.6, tabulate the attenuation (in dB) of a 18-gauge UTP for the indicated
frequencies and distances.

Table 7.5 Attenuation/or I8-gauge UTP

Distance dB at 1 KHz dRat 10KHz dB at 100 KHz

1 Krn
lOKm
15 Krn
20Km

12. Use the result of Exercise to infer that the bandwidth of a UTP cable decreases
with an increase in distance.
13. If the power at the beginning of a 1 KIn 18-gauge UTP is 200 mw, what is the
power at the end for frequencies 1 KHz, 10 KHz, and 100 KHz? Use the result of
Exercise 11.
14. Using Figure 7.9, tabulate the attenuation (in dB) of a 2.6/9.5 mm coaxial cable for
the indicated frequencies and distances.

Table 7.6 Attenuation/or 2.6/9.5 mm coaxial cable

Distance dB at 1 KHz dB at 10 KHz dB at 100KHz

1 Km
lOKrn
15Km
20Km

15. Use the result of Exercise 14 to infer that the bandwidth of a coaxial cable
decreases with the increase in distance.
16. If the power at the beginning of a 1 KIn 2.6/9.5 mm coaxial cable is 200 mw, what
is the power at the end for frequencies 1 KHz, 10KHz, and 100 KHz? Use the
result of Exercise 14.
17. Calculate the bandwidth of the light for the following wavelength ranges (assume a
propagation speed of 2 x 10 8 m):
1000 to 1200 nm
b. 1000 to 1400 nm
 SECTION 7.6 PRACTICE SET 211

18. The horizontal axes in Figure 7.6 and 7.9 represent frequencies. The horizontal
axis in Figure 7.16 represents wavelength. Can you explain the reason? lfthe prop-
agation speed in an optical fiber is 2 x 10 8 ill, can you change the units in the hori-
zontal axis to frequency? Should the vertical-axis units be changed too? Should the
curve be changed too?
19. Using Figure 7.16, tabulate the attenuation (in dB) of an optical fiber for the indicated
wavelength and distances.

Table 7.7 Attenuation for optical fiber

Distance dB at 800 nm dB at 1000 nm dB at 1200nm

1 Km
lOKm
15Km
20Km

20. A light signal is travelling through a fiber. What is the delay in the signal if the
length of the fiber-optic cable is 10 m, 100 m, and 1 Km (assume a propagation
speed of 2 x 108 ill)?
21. A beam oflight moves from one medium to another medium with less density. The
critical angle is 60°. Do we have refraction or reflection for each of the following
incident angles? Show the bending of the light ray in each case.
a. 40°
b. 60°
c. 80 0