Communication Media : Twisted Pair Cable

A twisted cable is the oldest and most common medium of transmission. It is generally used in telephone systems. A twisted pair consists of two insulated copper wires, typically 1 mm thick, twisted together just like a DNA molecule. The wire is twisted so as to reduce the electrical interference from and to the adjacent copper pairs. (The two conducting wires, which run parallel to each other, may cause electrical interference.)
When many twisted pairs run in parallel over a long distance, they are bundled togeher and enclosed in a proective sheath, so as not to interfere with each other. twisted pair is also used in a LAN (Local Area Network)

Advantages
It can be used for analog as well as digital transmission.
It is one of the cheapest media of transmission and has adequate performance.
Disadvantages
It is more prone to pick up noise signals.
A twisted pair can transmit dara only upto a certain distance.

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