BETA
Chapter 1
Anatomy of a deep-sea cable
View / Create
Answer
Chapter 2
The pioneer era of undersea wires
View / Create
Answer
Chapter 3
How to lay a cable across an ocean
View / Create
Answer
Chapter 4
Sharks, anchors, and deep-sea espionage
View / Create
Answer
Chapter 5
Geopolitics, tech giants, and the future
View / Create
Answer
YOUR GOAL
Master of The undersea internet cables
Ch 1 · Anatomy of a deep-sea cable
steve Route giant internet noodles across the ocean floor to discover how global data travels.
steve Undersea Internet Cables
All of our digital lives flowing through a garden hose under the ocean
steve Underwater repeaters amplify fading light signals every 50 miles using high-voltage electricity sent through the cable.
steve Layers of petroleum jelly, copper, steel, and plastic shield the delicate glass fibers from high pressure and water.
Fun Fact
Cable thickness: Deep-sea cables are surprisingly thin, with most of the deep-ocean length being about the diameter of a standard garden hose.
Glossary
optical fiber (noun)
A thin, flexible thread of pure glass or plastic that transmits information as light pulses. These hair-thin glass strands are armored with steel and copper to survive extreme deep-sea pressure.
A thin, flexible thread of pure glass or plastic that transmits information as light pulses. These hair-thin glass strands are armored with steel and copper to survive extreme deep-sea pressure.
Quiz
What physical phenomenon allows light to travel long distances inside a fiber-optic cable without escaping?
Quiz
Why do undersea cables require high-voltage electricity to run alongside the fiber-optic strands?
Quiz
Approximately how fast does data travel through the fiber-optic glass of an undersea cable?
Quiz
Which material is placed directly around the glass fibers in an undersea cable to prevent water damage?
Quiz
Why are undersea cables near the shoreline much thicker than those in the deep ocean?