Fiber optics work by transmitting light signals through thin strands of glass that are bundled together in cables. Light travels down the fiber due to total internal reflection off the inner surface of the glass. Fiber optic cables are used to transmit digital information over long distances for phone systems, cable TV, and the internet due to their high bandwidth and ability to carry signals long distances without degradation.

1. How Fiber Optics Work
S1170054
Takahiro Kageyama

2. Outline
● You hear about fiber-optic cables whene
ver people talk about the telephone syst
em, the cable TV system or the Internet.
Fiber-optic lines are strands of optically
pure glass as thin as a human hair that c
arry digital information over long distan
ces. They are also used in medical imaging
and mechanical engineering inspection.

3. What are Fiber Optics?
● Fiber optics (optical fibers) are long, thi
n strands of very pure glass about the d
iameter of a human hair. They are arrang
ed in bundles called optical cables and us
ed to transmit light signals over long dis
tances.

4. How Does an Optical Fiber
Transmit Light?
● Suppose you want to shine a flashlight be
am down a long, straight hallway. Just poi
nt the beam straight down the hallway -
- light travels in straight lines, so it is n
o problem. What if the hallway has a bend
in it? You could place a mirror at the ben
d to reflect the light beam around the co
rner.

5. A Fiber-Optic Relay System
● To understand how optical fibers are used
in communications systems, let's look at a
n example from a World War II movie or do
cumentary where two naval ships in a flee
t need to communicate with each other wh
ile maintaining radio silence or on stormy
seas. One ship pulls up alongside the othe
r.

6. Impression
● I was able to know the optical fiber well.
Hereafter, I want to study more. In additi
on, I want to acquire a new technology.