Learn in the textbookNetwork Classification and the Physical Foundation of Wired Connections
DefinitionA cable (ケーブル) is the physical wiring that carries signals in wired communication, a transmission path in a form you can see.
ExplanationThe twisted-pair cable (ツイストペアケーブル) common in LANs sends electrical signals through copper wires twisted together. A fiber-optic cable (光ファイバケーブル) sends signals as light, so they weaken little even over long distances and are hardly affected by electrical noise.
AnalogyA cable is a pipe for signals. Picture copper wire as a metal pipe that conducts electricity and optical fiber as a glass pipe that lets light through, and the difference becomes easy to grasp.
Memory hookThe English word cable originally meant the thick rope used to moor a ship.