Bounded media are those that use cables for transmitting electricity or light; unbounded media does not require cabling and includes satellite, microwave and radio transmission. Wireless connections, including 802.11b and 802.11g, are examples of unbounded media. Today, bounded media continue to be more common than unbounded.
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Bounded media use physical connectors, such as cables or wires, to transmit signals between devices, while unbounded media use wireless transmission methods, like radio waves or infrared signals. Bounded media have a defined path for signals to travel, while unbounded media allows for more flexibility in signal transmission without physical constraints.
Light will refract at the boundary between media with different densities, causing a change in its speed and direction. The amount of refraction depends on the difference in densities between the media.
When waves encounter a boundary between two different media, they can either reflect, transmit, or refract. This behavior is governed by the difference in the properties of the two media, such as their densities or refractive indices. The angle of incidence and the nature of the wave (e.g. electromagnetic or mechanical) also play a role in determining how the wave will behave at the boundary.
Reflection happens only at the interface between two media, and two media with the same index of refraction act as if they were a single medium. Thus, at the interface between media with the same index of refraction, there is no reflection, and the ray keeps going straight. Continuing this line of thought, it is not surprising that we observe very little reflection at an interface between media with similar indices of refraction.
Partial reflection occurs when a wave traveling from one medium to another with different optical densities reflects off the boundary between the two media. This phenomenon happens because part of the wave is transmitted into the second medium while the rest is reflected. It is governed by the difference in refractive indices of the two media.
When two media have the same index of refraction, it means that light travels at the same speed in both media. As a result, there is no change in speed or direction at the interface between the two media, leading to no refraction occurring.