Optical fiber

Optical fiber is like a long tube made of special glass that can carry really fast internet, phone and TV signals.

You know how you can talk on the phone and hear your friend's voice? The voice is turned into an electrical signal that travels through the phone line. But the signal changes as it goes over long distances, so it needs boosters to keep it strong. That's why you might have noticed really tall phone poles with big antennas on them.

Optical fiber is even better than phone lines. Instead of electricity, it uses light to carry signals. Light is much faster than electricity and it doesn't change as much over long distances. So signals can travel really far in fiber without needing boosters.

The glass in the fiber is very special. It's clear and smooth, almost like a straw. But it's made of glass that can bend and twist light without losing it. This is called "total internal reflection" and it's what keeps the light bouncing around the inside of the fiber, even if it's curved.

So when you watch TV or use the internet, the signal travels through the fiber like magic, carrying all the information you need. And the best part is, it's really fast and reliable!