Velocity of Propagation

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What Does Velocity of Propagation Mean?

Velocity of propagation is a measure of how fast a signal travels over time, or the speed of the transmitted signal as compared to the speed of light.

In computer technology, the velocity of propagation of an electrical or electromagnetic signal is the speed of transmission through a physical medium such as a coaxial cable or optical fiber.

Techopedia Explains Velocity of Propagation

There is also a direct relation between velocity of propagation and wavelength. Velocity of propagation is often stated either as a percentage of the speed of light or as time-to distance.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.