Optical fiber is composed of three elements – the core, the cladding and the coating. The core is at the center of the optical fiber and provides a pathway for light to travel. Fiber optics, which is the science of light transmission through very fine glass or plastic fibers, continues to be used in more and more applications due to its inherent advantages over copper conductors. Optical fibers operate on the principle of total internal reflection, which. Optical fiber is a highly-transparent strand of glass that transmits light signals with low attenuation (loss of signal power) over long distances, providing nearly limitless bandwidth. See Chapter 7 for a complete descrip lanes separated by 90°. The core is surrounded by a optical material called the "cladding" that traps the. Fiber is normally made of pure silica (glass) due to its pure qualities and the properties that give it good total internal refraction, an efect that forms the basis of fiber optical communication. The light travels down the.
