RAS question
Fibre optics communication was a contribution of:
Correct answer: (D) Charles K. Kao.
Fibre-optics communication is associated with Charles K. Kao, who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for work on transmitting light through fibres for optical communication.
Explanation
Charles Kuen Kao is the right answer because the Nobel Prize links his work directly to optical-fibre communication. The Nobel Prize records that one half of the 2009 Physics Nobel went to Kao for achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibres for optical communication. In 1966, he showed that glass fibres could carry light signals over long distances if impurities were reduced. That matters because ordinary glass fibres lost too much light to be useful for long-distance information transfer; very pure glass fibres solved that barrier and made optical-fibre telecommunication possible.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Alexander Graham Bell is not the scientist identified by the Nobel Prize for optical-fibre communication through purified glass fibres.
- (B) Albert Einstein is not linked to fibre-optic signal transmission; the 2009 Physics Nobel attributes that contribution to Charles Kuen Kao.
- (C) Nikola Tesla is not associated with this contribution, which specifically concerns Kao's work on transmitting light in fibres for optical communication.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology syllabus area on communication technologies and landmark contributors. RAS repeats such questions because they connect a named scientist, a Nobel-level discovery, and a technology used in modern telecommunication.