This document discusses analog and digital data and signals, and the three main causes of transmission impairment: attenuation, distortion, and noise. It defines analog and digital data as being continuous or discrete, respectively. Attenuation refers to the loss of energy as a signal travels through a medium. Distortion occurs when different frequency components of a composite signal travel at different speeds, arriving with different phases. Noise comes from various sources like thermal effects, induced interference, crosstalk, and impulses. Figures are provided to illustrate these concepts of analog and digital signals, attenuation, distortion, and the different types of noise.