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Waves

Light - Total Internal Reflection - Optical Fibres - Telecommunications.

Telecommunications means
"the transmission of information over long distances".

Information is transmitted (sent) using electromagnetic waves,
light in optical fibres or electrical signals in copper wires.
This information can be used in many ways,
including telephone, television, fax and internet.

A laser can be made to produce little bits of light (called pulses)
which are sent along the fibre in the form of a digital signal.
The digital signal contains the information.

Many different digital signals can be sent
down the same optical fibre at the same time.
The optical fibre is said to have a higher capacity
than a copper wire of the same thickness
(this means that the optical fibre can carry more information).

A digital signal has a higher quality than an analogue signal.

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