What OSI physical layer term describes the amount of time, including delays, for data to travel from one point to another?
- latency
- bandwidth
- throughput
- goodput
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Answers Explanation & Hints: Latency is a term used to describe the amount of time that it takes for data to travel from one point to another in a communication system. It includes the time delay caused by various factors such as the distance between the source and destination, the processing time at intermediate nodes, and the transmission time over the communication medium.
In simple terms, latency is the time taken for a data packet to travel from the source to the destination. It is typically measured in milliseconds (ms) or microseconds (μs).
Latency is an important metric in communication systems as it determines the responsiveness of the system. A high latency can lead to delays in data transmission, which can affect the performance of real-time applications such as video conferencing and online gaming.
In addition, latency can be affected by various factors such as the speed of light, the transmission medium used, and the processing time at intermediate nodes. For example, a communication system that uses satellite links may have a higher latency than a system that uses fiber optic cables.
In summary, latency is a term used to describe the amount of time it takes for data to travel from one point to another in a communication system. It is an important metric that affects the responsiveness of the system and is influenced by various factors such as distance, transmission medium, and processing time.