Question

Which is not an advantage of fiber-optic cable over copper cable?

A. Less Expensive

B. Non-Flammable

C. Higher data-carrying capacity

D. Low Power

Answer 1

A fiber-optic cable is a transparent, flexible fiber made by drawing glass into thin fibers. It is widely used to transmit light from one end to the other end of the fiber and mainly used in fiber-optic communications. It allows transmission over long distances at greater bandwidth with clear signals and no lagging compared to wire cables.

Complete answer:
Now, looking into the advantages of fiber-optic cables comparing to copper cables:
a) Less expensive: Raw materials used in fiber-optic such as glass are found in abundance compared to copper. The durability and reliability properties of the fiber can make the final cost of installation lower. As technology is advancing each day, the cost of fiber-optics cables and its components continues to decrease.

b) Greater bandwidth: Initially, copper cables were developed for voice transmission due to which they had limited bandwidth. In contrast, Fiber-optic cables are designed with greater bandwidth to carry more data(information) than copper cables despite having the same diameter.

c) Low Power Loss: It is due to this factor that data can be transmitted to long distances with less signal degradation through fiber-optic cable than a copper cable. For instance, the recommended distance for copper cable is 100m while for a fiber-optic cable is 2km.

Thereby concluding, Fiber-optic cables are generally non-flammable and considered better for communication as the data cannot be tapped. Also, Fiber-optic internet is not susceptible to any changes in the weather like copper cables, leading to damage of data. Fiber-optic communication is faster than cable communication as a photon's speed is faster than that of electrons. There is no fire hazard in a fiber-optic cable as there is no electricity conduct, unlike copper cables.

Hence the correct answer is B.

Note:
Fiber-optic cables are the best mode of transmission for data over long distances. However, students must be very observative in choosing the options as all options are favourable for fiber-optic cables.