What Is Fiber Optics?
According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (n.d.), fiber optics is “thin transparent fibers of glass or plastic that are enclosed by material of a lower refractive index and that transmit light throughout their length by internal reflections.” Fiber optics can be used for many purposes, but are mainly used for telecommunication and medical use.
How Does It Work?
In telecommunication use, fiber optics is compacted into a cable with the use of layers of materials. This cable is then run from provider huts to the houses of their consumers without any interruption in the cable. Provider huts are normally spaced every 50 miles to cut down on extremely lengthy cables. A laser is then pointed a very shallow angle, and is turned off and on to send each bit of information to the receiver. The light is perfectly reflected as it travels at the speed of light towards its destination. This beam of light is then translated into digital signals which are processed by the device the cable is plugged into. The newest fiber optic cables now have multiple lasers with different colors to send multiple signals at the same time in the same fiber (Freudenrich, n.d.). Fiber optic cables can be used for telephone systems, cable television, medical technology, engineering technology, and computer technology. All areas in which fiber optic cables can be used have many benefits from their use.
