Unwanted signals that cause disturbance to the original signals over a network medium are known as...

• A. Crosstalk
• B. Collision Domain
• C. Confidentiality
• D. Content Switch

Answer: (A)

Crosstalk is the phenomenon where signals on one conductor create unwanted disturbances on neighboring conductors within the same medium. This happens when the electric or magnetic fields from one wire couple into nearby wires, causing a portion of the transmitted signal to appear as noise on those other lines. In copper cabling, designers combat crosstalk by using twists per meter, shielding, and careful cable placement; near-end and far-end crosstalk are common measurements that describe how much leakage occurs at different points along the run. This interference degrades signal quality, lowers SNR, and can limit achievable data rates on the link.

The other terms describe different concepts. A collision domain refers to the network segment where data collisions can occur when multiple devices share a medium, not to interference between signals on adjacent wires. Confidentiality is about protecting data from unauthorized access, not about electrical disturbances. A content switch is a device used to route or deliver application content, unrelated to signal interference on the transmission medium.