optical fiber
optical fiber — noun
1. a very fine, flexible strand of glass that carries light signals, used in cables
a very fine, flexible strand of glass that carries light signals, used in cables to send data, images, and voice over long distances
Hugo works at a lab where they develop new optical fibers for internet networks.
Optical fibers carry phone and video signals under the ocean between continents.
carry + phone/video signals — typical collocation
The hospital endoscope uses bundles of optical fibers to look inside a patient's body.
Modern internet networks rely on optical fibers rather than copper wires for fast connections.
Karim learned how optical fibers send data as pulses of light in his engineering class.
- fiber optics
refers to the technology or field, not an individual strand
- optical waveguide
more formal engineering term, broader in meaning
用法筆記
Often used in the plural (optical fibers) when referring to bundles or cables. The British English spelling is 'optical fibre'.
常見錯誤
2. one individual strand of fiber-optic material, used as a separate path for trans
one individual strand of fiber-optic material, used as a separate path for transmitting light signals
A technician carefully spliced a broken optical fiber in the underground cable.
splice an optical fiber — technical collocation
The repair kit contained one spare optical fiber and a connector tool.
Each optical fiber in the bundle carries data to a different office building.
Minho found a damaged optical fiber and replaced it with a new strand.
- fiber-optic strand
more explicit; often used in technical manuals
用法筆記
This sense focuses on one individual instance, typically in a repair or counting context. Distinguish from sense 1, which describes the material or technology in general.