TUTORIAL 5: TRANSMISSION MEDIA

1. What is the position of the transmission media in the OSI or the Internet model?

Physical Layer

2. Name the two major categories of transmission media.

Guided Media (Wired)

Unguided Media (Wireless)

3. How do guided media differ from unguided media?

Guided media have boundaries; While unguided are unbounded

4. What are the three major classes of guided media?

1) Twisted-pair
2) Coaxial
3) Fiber-optic cables

5. What is the function of the twisting in twisted-pair cable?

1) Noise immunity : Twisting helps reduce electromagnetic interference

between adjacent pairs of wires in the cable
2) Signal Quality : Twisted pairs help maintain signal quality over long
distances.
3) Flexibility and Durability : The twisting also imparts flexibility to the cable,
making it easier to handle and install.

6. What is refraction? What is reflection?

Refraction : Refraction can be compared, in this sense, to the direction or

speed at which a signal changes as it travels through various materials or
media within a network. For instance, transmission characteristics like speed
and signal integrity may alter when data signals move from one medium (like
copper) to another (like fiber-optic).

Reflection : When signals come across impedance mismatches or

discontinuities in the transmission medium, they bounce back, which is
referred to as reflection. A portion of the signal may reflect back toward the
source if there is a mismatch when it reaches the end of the transmission line.
For communication systems to be designed with signal integrity and signal
loss prevention in mind, this phenomenon is essential.
7. What is the purpose of cladding in an optical fiber?

1) Light Guiding: the cladding helps keep light inside the core (the center of
the straw). Its like a mirror that reflects light back into the straw, making
sure it goes where its supposed to.
2) Preventing Spillage: without the cladding, light would leak out, like water
leaking from a straw. The cladding stops this from happening, ensuring
that most of the light reaches the other end without getting lost.
3) Protection : The cladding is like a protective shield around the core,
keeping it safe from bumps and environmental factors, just like a plastic
coating on a straw.

8. Name the advantages of optical fiber over twisted-pair and coaxial cable.

1) Less signal
2) Higher bandwidth
3) Noise resistance

9. How does sky propagation differ from line-of-sight propagation?

Sky propagation radio waves radiate upward into the ionosphere and are then
reflected to earth.
In line-of-sight propagation signals are transmitted in a straight line from
antenna to antenna.

10. What is the difference between omnidirectional waves and unidirectional waves?
Omnidirectional waves radiate in all directions from a single point. They have a
spherical or donut-shaped radiation pattern, spreading the signal uniformly in
three-dimensional space.

Unidirectional waves have a focused and concentrated radiation pattern,

propagating predominantly in one direction. The energy is concentrated in a
specific beam or direction.