Name: ___________________________________________________
Communication Technologies Notes
1. How does information move around us?
Electromagnetic waves can travel through air,
space, optical fibers
We send electricity and electrical signals through
copper wires
Light signals are sent through optical fibers or
fiber optical cable
Radio waves carry information through the air
Radio waves also carry information through space
2. What is the difference between digital and analog
signals?
Digital signals are usually binary ones and zeroes
(on or off)
Analog signals are information that is continuous
like a wave, your voice, sound, electric current,
fluid waves, and radio waves
Analog to Digital converters change analog
signals to digital signals
3. What are the parts of a communication system?
A source is the person that produces the
message
An encoder changes the signal to another form
The transmitter is what sends the signal through
the air
The receiver is what collects the signal from the
air after you sent it
The decoder changes it back to its original form
The destination is the person receiving the
message
Storage is a place to store information (hard
drives)
Retrieval is getting the information from storage
4. What is a laser and what is fiber optic technology?
A laser is a diode that makes a bright laser light
beam
Lasers light is powerful and used in surgery and in
communication
Light that comes out of a laser all looks exactly
the same
Fiber optics are long flexible strands of glass and
covered in cladding that carry information using
laser light. The light bounces around inside using
total internal reflection.
Total internal reflection is light bouncing around
inside of something
Cladding is a plastic coating that covers fiber optic
cables
Fiber optics has replaced most copper wires to
transfer digital information using light
Fiber optics is also used to see inside our bodies,
send digital data over land, and to look inside
hard to get places
Communication Technologies Problems
1. A certain component in a communications system
receives a signal and converts it into a digital data stream.
This component is an example of which of the following?
A encoder
.
B source
.
C storage
.
Name: ___________________________________________________
D transmitte .
. r
B increasing the number of fibers in the
. cable
2. Some small MP3 music players use solid-state memory C using fewer optical amplifiers along the
chips to store music. In which of the following formats is . cable
music stored in these MP3 players? D using plastic instead of glass in the cable
A digital codes .
.
B magnetic codes
.
C photovoltaic cells
. 5. A car audio system processes information in both digital
D laser-etched form and analog form to create an output to the speakers.
. patterns Which of the following components of the cars audio
system processes information that is always stored in a
digital form?
3. Which of the following devices uses laser technology to
function? A FM radio
.
A bluetooth
. headset B AM radio
.
B computer
. monitor C CD player
.
C DVD player
. D cassette
. player
D USB drive
.
6. Which of the following technologies has increased the
efficiency of telecommunications systems such as high-
4. Which of the following would increase the amount of
speed Internet?
information that can be transmitted by a fiberoptic cable?
A DVD burners
A increasing the length of the cable .
Name: ___________________________________________________
B MP3 players . cable carries electrical signals.
.
C electrical 9. A student removes a 4-gigabyte flash drive from the
. wires USB port of her computer. Which of the following is the
primary function of the flash drive in the computer
D fiber optics system?
. A encoder
.
7. Many home entertainment devices such as televisions
can be operated wirelessly by infrared remote controls. B processor
Which of the following is a limitation of this type of .
communication technology? C storage
A The remote control cannot use rechargeable .
. batteries.
D transmitte
B The remote can operate only one component of a . r
. system.
C The infrared signal cannot be activated in a bright 10. Which of the following statements describes an
. environment. advantage of total internal reflection within an optical
fiber?
D The infrared signal must have an unobstructed path A It converts electrical signals into optical signals.
. to the receiving component. .
8. The two most common media through which voice and
data transmissions are carried are copper cable and B It converts optical signals into electrical signals.
fiberoptic cable. Which of the following statements .
describes the type of signals carried by each cable? C It allows optical signals to be transmitted on a
A Copper cable carries electrical signals; fiberoptic . curve.
. cable carries light signals.
D It allows electrical signals to be sent along a
B Copper cable carries electrical signals; fiberoptic . curve.
. cable carries sound signals. 11. Which of the following best describes how information
C Copper cable carries transport signals; fiberoptic is coded in an analog signal?
. cable carries electrical signals. A by blinking visible light for different durations
.
D Copper cable carries modulation signals; fiberoptic
Name: ___________________________________________________
B by generating square waves consisting of ones and
. tens
C by varying the amplitude and frequency of
. electromagnetic waves
D by alternating electrical current between zero and a
. positive voltage

12. In the early twentieth century, a person in Boston,

Massachusetts, who wanted to send a message to
someone in San Francisco, California, gave the message to
a telegraph operator. The operator tapped the message in
Morse code, and the message was relayed through
electrical cables to San Francisco. In San Francisco, an
operator translated the signal into English and had it
delivered to the address specified.Which of the following
describes the encoding process of telegraph
communication?
A giving the message to the
. operator
B tapping the message in Morse
. code
C translating the Morse code
. message
D delivering the message to the
. address
Name: ___________________________________________________
Name: ___________________________________________________
Name: ___________________________________________________

a. Describe the function of the core and the function of

the cladding.

Open Response Questions

1. The illustration below shows three major components of
a fiberoptic cable.

In recent years, fiberoptic cable has been replacing copper

wire as a means of transmitting communication signals.
Name: ___________________________________________________
b. Describe the difference between the signals that are
transmitted by fiberoptic cable and those
transmitted by copper wire.

The core in a fiberoptic cable can be made of plastic or

glass.
c. Identify two advantages of using plastic instead of
glass in a fiberoptic cable.

An SMTP server sends messages from its users and

receives messages from other servers. A POP3 server
holds a users incoming messages until the user reads
them.

a. On the diagram above, add arrows to show the path

of an e-mail sent from a users computer at the
Acme Corporation to a users computer at the Blue
Corporation.

2. Many e-mail messages are sent through systems similar

to the one outlined in the diagram below.

A communication system can be made up of the following

components: decoder, destination, encoder, receiver,
retrieval, source, storage, and transmitter.
Name: ___________________________________________________
b. Identify the part of a communication system
represented by the users computer at the Blue
Corporation. Explain your answer.

c. Identify the part(s) of a communication system

represented by the POP3 servers. Explain your
answer.