Math Is Fun Forum
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#1 2015-06-22 04:07:18
- David
- Member
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2014-04-23
- Posts: 3,164
Fiber Optics?
So... I switched to fiber optic internet and they are fast.
My ISP says the "light" travels at 300 000 000 km/s
Shouldn't it be slower? Considering it's travelling through a median. That means my ISP lied to me 
And for one moment I thought they managed to transfer data at the speed of light... (Which I did not, actually.)
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
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#2 2015-06-22 04:16:06
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Fiber Optics?
They were rounding off I guess.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
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#3 2015-06-22 04:24:49
- David
- Member
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2014-04-23
- Posts: 3,164
Re: Fiber Optics?
I believe it is about the same speed as how electricity travels through copper.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
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#4 2015-06-22 05:13:39
Re: Fiber Optics?
So... I switched to fiber optic internet and they are fast.
My ISP says the "light" travels at 300 000 000 km/s
Shouldn't it be slower? Considering it's travelling through a median. That means my ISP lied to meAnd for one moment I thought they managed to transfer data at the speed of light... (Which I did not, actually.)
It should also be m/s, unless your ISP has found a way of making light move at over a thousand times its upper bound... in which case, I'd like to sign up.
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#5 2015-06-22 05:22:48
- David
- Member
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2014-04-23
- Posts: 3,164
Re: Fiber Optics?
Ah yes. 300 000 000 m/s xD
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
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#6 2015-06-22 06:16:54
- Bob
- Administrator
- Registered: 2010-06-20
- Posts: 10,621
Re: Fiber Optics?
The data is coded using light and sent along the fibre at the speed of light. But the optical path is a zig zag as the light is constantly reflected off the side walls of the fibre so it has to travel further than the length of the cable. But it's close so that much is ok. But then you have to 'translate' the data back into a format that your computer can use, so the time from source to your screen is a lot less than it would be if you just did this:
Get a friend to stand on a distant hillside. Make sure you have 'line of sight' communication. Make a 'stencil' with a message cut into the sheet. You could say something profound like "Hi there, how are you?" Put a strong light behind the stencil so the letters show up as light. Your friend will receive your message at the speed of light. Of course, we still have to wait while he slowly reads the message and if you want a reply ...........
I have a fibre optic connection to the end of the street. Then the signal staggers along copper to my house. I think the main advantage is not the speed of the signal but rather the increased bandwidth which means the system doesn't slow up during heavy traffic.
Bob
Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you! …………….Bob 
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#7 2015-06-22 07:10:10
Re: Fiber Optics?
No matter how fast light is, the bottleneck effect counts.
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
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