Internet facts and myths

[poddster]

FACT

1. Internet data flow speed is limited to the speed of the slowest link between source to destination, regardless of the transport medium used.

(Be that copper, optic fibre, wireless or even wet string)

MYTH

Propagation of signal using Optic Fibre is faster than propagation of signal using copper.

(Propagation in both mediums is 66% plus or minus 5% of the speed of light in a vacuum)

[cherry*135]

One persons reality is not everyone elses reality.;-)

[*mrgrizz*]

mmmmm

can't post the word p.o.r.n

wonder if i could post a link but:^O

[clair.de.lune]

On the other hand you might like to view reality 🙂 repetitive as it is

Runs to the tv, sorry poddy!

I'm not smart, I'm just here to play 😜

[i-need-a-martini]

MYTH

Propagation of signal using Optic Fibre is faster than propagation of signal using copper.

OMG! :^O

Am I living in an Enid Blyton land? Where people say one thing and the opposite is actually true? Is it Topsy Turvy Land?

Because only that would explain why the OP would consider that the above statement is a myth.

Honestly, sometimes the statements made on here just make my day cause they are so funny.

[poddster]

Just for you martini, to dispell your belief in myth 🙂

By John Curtis
Network World, 01/11/99

As new technologies further define high performance networking, engineers and network administrators alike are taking a fresh look at cabling to further enhance overall network performance. Today's cables carry data signals at more than 50% of the speed of light in a vacuum, but there are measurable speed differences among cable types. Do such differences have a significant impact in overall network performance? Should they be considered when choosing between fiber and copper cable? Let's take a closer look.

Today's leading fiber cables from vendors such as Corning, AT&T Network Cable Systems and Spectran Specialty, propagate signals along the cable at approximately two thirds the speed of light in a vacuum. (In technical jargon, they have an index of refraction, denoted by the Greek letter Eta, of approximately 1.5.) Today's Category 5 copper cables, by contrast, actually propagate signals faster than fiber -- approximately 72% of the speed of light in a vacuum (or 10% faster than fiber).

To determine the real impact of this difference on network traffic, we need to do a little math. If we compare the time required to send data across 100 meters of fiber vs. copper cable, the copper transmission will arrive less than one tenth of one microsecond sooner - virtually undetectable by even the best network analyzers. Even if we were to stretch the distance to 20 kilometers, well beyond what's allowed for Category 5 copper, the difference in cable speeds still amounts to less than one microsecond.

All of this means that, from the perspective of overall network performance, the propagation delays of fiber and copper cable are effectively identical. Clearly, issues such as cost and bandwidth remain key factors in choosing between the two technologies, but customers can comfortably ignore propagation delay as a performance metric in overall network performance.

[the_hawk*]

Martini it would be funny if it wasn't so serious what some believe :^O

[the_bob_delusion]

FACT............6-1x0+2/2=7......:-D

bet that was the highlight of your week. 😉

[the_hawk*]

Network World, 01/11/99

wow thats new news :^O

[poddster]

Runs to the tv, sorry poddy!

I'm not smart, I'm just here to play 😜

Don't feel left out, you are in good compamy 🙂

[poddster]

Network World, 01/11/99

wow thats new news :^O

You may not have noticed, but fact does not alter with time