Happy Fiber Optic Friday! Feast your eyes on these five fun facts!
1. Fiber optic fibers use light. If you didn’t know that by now, welcome to the party! On a more serious note, because fiber optic cables emit less heat than electric ones, there’s less chance of a fire in buildings that use fiber optics. Home electric fires are also, sadly, incredibly common, especially these days when entire houses are plugged in and running lights, TVs, kitchen appliances and everything else under the sun! Electric cables can be rendered useless if even a portion of the cable overheats and melts. The signal is disrupted and the energy can’t be used. It’s garbage…dangerous garbage! Not so with fiber optics!
2. Fiber optic fibers are thinner than ever! Yes, it seems even science and technology adhere to New Year Resolutions with the same determination as any of us. And thinner and sleeker means faster and better. Fiber optic cables are thinner than a human hair! Unlike bulky and limited copper wires, data that’s transmitted through lightweight and flexible material can move faster and more fibers can fit into one insulator pipes. That means more data for less cost for both the company and the customer!
3. Fiber optic fibers are incredibly lightweight. How lightweight, you ask? NASA uses fiber optic wiring and cables on their shuttles and rockets to decrease payload and therefore cost of fuel to launch a heavier, metal-wired electrical wiring. Better, stronger, faster, higher!..as in to Mars higher. Another benefit of lightweight materials like fiber optics is the laborers who install and transport the wiring are at a reduced risk of injury. That means a company does not have to worry about additional padded charges from insurance companies that are looking to make a buck on claims of strain from moving heavy objects and the liability therein. The cost of those claims then trickle down to the consumer! You’re already paying for your own insurance: thanks to widespread fiber optic use, you don’t have to pay for anyone else!
4. Fiber optic fibers love the planet. While not sentient, fiber optic technology is one of the “greenest” out there. It takes a lot more energy to send a sustained electric signal across a plane than it does a single flash of light. In this day and age where consumption has to be kept to a minimum, lower energy output and consumption means a smaller carbon footprint on the environment.
5. Fiber optic fibers shake it off, shake it off! Because fiber optic cables don’t transmit electricity but rather light, they don’t degrade over time like wire cables. They’re not affected by water, wind, ice, or extreme heat! They’re not immune to damage, but they can take a lot more abuse. They’ll take what you can throw at them and do it for longer, again incurring less cost on the company and the consumer.
At the end of the day, fiber optics are amazing!
I’m impressed, I must say. Definitely rarely do I encounter a website that’s equally educative and interesting, and let me inform you,
you have hit the nail to the head.
Given that there are a lot of companies who are using fiber optics for internet, would it make sense for power companies to do the same? Since they are a lot more reliable, it would make sense to replace normal wiring with fiber optic ones. Do you think something like that would become standard in the future?
I’d have to talk with you here. That will be not
a thing I usually do! I enjoy reading a post that can make people think.
Also, thanks for letting me to comment!
Nice post. I learn something tougher on different blogs everyday.
It’ll often be exciting to learn material from different authors and exercise a little something from their store.
I’ve been wanting to get a better insight on how cabling works. This is a whole new field that I don’t know anything about and want to learn more about. This helped a ton and I can’t wait to learn more.
Hi Jason! Thanks for reading. We live in an increasingly connected world and it’s really astounding to see how the technology we see and use everyday works. Stay tuned for more Fun Facts!
Thank you, Madge! Keep reading!
We love our readers! Thanks for commenting!
Great question, Andy! Already, it’s pretty much standard operating procedure for businesses to use more energy efficient sources of power like surge protectors, low-watt or energy efficient light bulbs, etc. Some businesses in larger cities even utilize renewable energy to keep the lights on and the water cooler running! Don’t be afraid to speak up and let your supervisors/landlords/the powers that be know that you’re thinking about how they could benefit from fiber optics and efficient power use.
We like to think of ourselves as akin to great fun and educational minds like Ben Franklin, Bill Nye, or Ms. Frizzle… Thanks for reading! Stay tuned every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!