Why is copper cable still widely used?

Copper cable is cheaper than fibre and easier to install and bend. Copper cable is fast enough for the short distances inside a building.

When would fibre optic cable be the appropriate choice?

Fibre suits long links, such as between buildings or across a country. Fibre also suits backbone cables carrying heavy traffic and places with electrical interference.

When would copper cable be the appropriate choice?

Copper suits short connections, such as linking office computers to a switch. Copper keeps costs down where very high speeds are not needed.

AQA GCSE Computer Science 8525

Algorithms

Topic overview Algorithms, decomposition and abstraction Pseudo-code, flowcharts and trace tables Efficiency of algorithms Linear search and binary search Bubble sort and merge sort

Programming

Topic overview Data types Variables, constants and assignment Sequence, selection and iteration Arithmetic, relational and Boolean operators Arrays and records Input, output, string handling and random numbers Subroutines and structured programming Validation, authentication and testing

Data Representation

Topic overview Number bases and why hexadecimal is used Converting between binary, decimal and hexadecimal Units of information: bits, bytes and prefixes Binary addition and binary shifts Character encoding: ASCII and Unicode Pixels, bitmaps and colour depth Bitmap image file size calculations Digital sound: sampling rate and sample resolution Data compression: Huffman coding and run-length encoding

Computer Systems

Topic overview Hardware, software and the operating system Logic gates, truth tables and Boolean expressions Programming languages and translators The CPU and the fetch-execute cycle Types of memory and embedded systems Secondary storage and cloud storage

Computer Networks

Topic overview Network types and topologies Wired and wireless networks Network protocols The TCP/IP model and its layers Network security methods

Cyber Security

Topic overview Cyber security, common threats and penetration testing Social engineering: blagging, phishing and shouldering Malware: viruses, trojans and spyware Methods to detect and prevent cyber security threats

Relational Databases and SQL

Topic overview Relational databases and keys SQL SELECT queries SQL INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE

Ethical, Legal and Environmental Impacts of Digital Technology

Topic overview Ethical issues in digital technology Legal issues, privacy and surveillance Environmental impacts of digital technology

Computer Networks

Wired and wireless networks

3 things to know
Paper 2

Overview

Copper and fibre optic cable, the advantages and disadvantages of wireless networks, why Wi-Fi is less secure, and when a wired connection is the better choice.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

What is the difference between a wired and a wireless network?

Key term

What are the two main types of network cable?

Evaluation

What are the advantages of fibre optic cable over copper cable?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is the difference between a wired and a wireless network?
Model answer
A wired network connects devices using physical cables. A wireless network sends data through the air using radio waves.
2
What are the two main types of network cable?
Model answer
Copper cable carries data as electrical signals. Fibre optic cable carries data as pulses of light.
3
What are the advantages of fibre optic cable over copper cable?
Model answer
Fibre carries data much faster over far longer distances without losing signal strength. Fibre is not affected by electrical interference.
4
Why is copper cable still widely used?
Model answer
Copper cable is cheaper than fibre and easier to install and bend. Copper cable is fast enough for the short distances inside a building.
5
When would fibre optic cable be the appropriate choice?
Model answer
Fibre suits long links, such as between buildings or across a country. Fibre also suits backbone cables carrying heavy traffic and places with electrical interference.
6
When would copper cable be the appropriate choice?
Model answer
Copper suits short connections, such as linking office computers to a switch. Copper keeps costs down where very high speeds are not needed.

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