Communications Flashcards
What is Baud Rate?
The number of signal changes in the medium per second
What is Bit Rate?
The number of bits that are transmitted over the medium per second
How do you calculate Bit Rate?
Bit Rate = Baud Rate x Number of Bits Per Signal
What is Bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the range of frequencies that a communication medium is capable of transmitting
What is the relationship between Bandwidth and Bit Rate?
The higher the bandwidth, the higher the bit rate
What is Latency?
The difference in time between an action being initiated and its effect being noticed
Latency increases with distance
What is a protocol?
A set of rules for the transmission of data across a network
What is Serial Data Transmission?
When data is sent one bit at a time over one communication line
When is Serial Data Transmission used?
For transmitting data from medium to long distances , such as connecting your mouse to your computer
What is Parallel Data Transmission?
When data is sent using numerous parallel communication lines to send multiple bits between components in a computer simultaneously
What is skewing?
Skewing occurs in Parallel Data Transmission
Each of the communication lines in the parallel communication medium will have slightly different electrical properties, meaning the time taken for one bit to be transferred will differ from line to line
This means the bits may not be received together
How does skewing lead to corruption of data?
The higher the distance to travel, the higher the chance of skewing. This can lead to bits from different pulses overlapping, which causes corruption of data
What is crosstalk?
Crosstalk is another issue with parallel data transmission
When communication lines are tightly packed, signals can leak from one line to another - which causes data corruption
What are the advantages of Serial Data Transmission over Parallel? (4)
Parallel Data Transmission requires more wires, which means it is more expensive and more difficult to install
Serial is more reliable as it has no risk of skewing or crosstalk, unlike Parallel - which means there is less chance of data being corrupted
When is Parallel Data Transmission used?
To connect parts within the processor