How Fiber Optics Connect the World. Wave2Wave Foundation w2wfoundation.org 1

Transcription

1 How Fiber Optics Connect the World Wave2Wave Foundation w2wfoundation.org 1

2 Kolya returned home from school and started to play his favorite game Fibercraft. He got his friends from South Africa, Finland, and Egypt to go online and play with him. His buddy from China was able to join as well. Together they talked about the latest Fibercraft news while building their new homes. Their conversations were so interesting because they were from different places in the world and all had different thoughts. Kolya wondered how were they able to connect. 2

3 His dad heard and began to explain that they were able to play with each other because they were connected through fiber optic cables. Fiber optic cables virtually connect every corner of the United States to the entire world, distributing information and ideas on a fantastic scale. These cables carry signals for television shows, telephone conversations, and internet traffic, he said. 3

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5 When you are playing Fibercraft and make a request to buy one of its features, your request goes on a journey through the fibers at the speed of light. The request first travels to your internet provider s nearest office. From there, it is routed to the internet provider closest to the Fibercraft server that has been communicating with you. The Fibercraft server you are communicating with might be nearby or on the other side of the world. 5

6 Kolya then asked, What about when we play other games, visit websites, or watch movies and look at the news? His dad replied, They are all connected and we call these connections a Network. 6

7 Fiber optic cables are the information pathways that create the network that lets Fibercraft and all of the other things seen on your computer reach you. Being connected through fiber optic cables allows global access to these networks and the information they contain. 7

8 That s neat! So what exactly is a fiber optic cable and how does it work? questioned Kolya. His dad described, An optical fiber is a semi-flexible, transparent, and extremely thin strand of pure glass that has the diameter of a human hair. Glass is optically transparent and therefore allows information-laden rays of light over long distances. A fiber optic cable is made up of five parts that consist of the core, cladding, coating, strengthening fibers, and a protective outer jacket. The core is a transparent plastic or glass through which light travels. The cladding is a glass covering surrounding the core that acts as a mirror to reflect light back into the core. The coating is a plastic coating over the cladding that coats and protects the fiber. Then there are strengthening fibers surrounding the coating to help protect the core from crushing forces and excessive tension during installation. The protective outer jacket is an outer layer of the cable that protects it from environmental hazards. 8

9 Protective Outer Jacket Coating Core Cladding Strengthening Fibers 9

10 10 His dad continued to explain, Fiber optics works because light travels long distances through the fibers without interruption. While conventional copper wire cable uses electrical pulses as the signal medium, fiber optic cable uses light pulses. A fiber optic line has a transmitter at one end that processes inputted data and transforms it into light waves.

11 Electrical Pulses Light Waves 11

12 What else can fiber optics be used for? asked Kolya. Well, some common use of fiber optics is in the field of communication. Massive amounts of data are sent and received over networks of fiber optic cables for various industries such as cable television, phones, and internet communication, answered his dad. 12

13 Since these cables are able to bend, doctors use them during surgery to shine light inside parts of the body that are hard to see. Many engineers and mechanics also use fiber optic scopes. They put light onto parts of machines with a lot of twists and bends where light cannot easily travel. Fiber optics are also used for connecting hard to reach areas or places with extreme conditions such as underground or across the sea. 13

14 14 In fact, his dad added, fiber optics have revolutionized the telecommunications industry and played a major role in the making of the Digital Age. The advantages of optical fibers have allowed it to largely replace other methods of transmission in networks all over the world. The important thing to remember is that it transmits data, allowing you and your friends to play together.

15 After learning about how fiber optic cables make it possible for people from different countries to play together, Kolya thought about what it meant for him to be globally connected. It meant that he could have new friends from all over the world. Playing with people from other countries taught him that there are many people who are just like him, with similar hopes and dreams. He learned that everyone lives on one planet together. And of course global friends make the game much more fun! 15

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