Question

The steepness of the traveling wave is attenuated by
(A) The resistance of the line
(B) The inductance of the line
(C) The capacitance of the line
(D) All of the above

Answer 1

Hint : The attenuation of traveling waves is defined as the reduction of the amplitude of the traveling wave signal. As the energy of a wave signal depends on the amplitude of a wave, we can also say that attenuation results in the reduction of energy of a traveling wave.

Complete step by step answer
Attenuation is defined as the loss of signal strength when it travels. It is related to the amplitude of the traveling wave. The energy of the traveling wave is directly proportional to the square of the amplitude of the traveling wave. So, the power of the traveling wave is also directly proportional to the square of the amplitude.
The steepness of a traveling wave can be reduced by either increasing the wavelength or reducing the amplitude. When the traveling wave passes through a resistor, there will be energy loss of the wave, while it travels through the resistor in the form of heat. The power dissipated by a resistor is given by
$\Rightarrow P = VI$
Here, $V$ and $I$ is the voltage and current through the resistor.
Applying Ohm’s law to the above equation, we get the power dissipated as
$\Rightarrow P = {I^2}R$
Here, $R$ is the resistance of the circuit.
So, the power dissipated as heat is directly proportional to the resistance that the traveling wave encounters.
So, option (A) is the correct answer.

Note
Distortion is another way in which the steepness of the traveling wave gets affected. Distortion of a traveling wave is the change in the shape of the wave. It is generally caused due to a change in the wavelength or equivalently its frequency. It can be caused by electronic devices that depend on the frequency of the wave. Distortion is caused due to inductance or capacitance in a circuit.