Fiber optics is a technology that uses thin strands of glass or plastic, called optical fibers, to transmit information as pulses of light. Each fiber is about as thick as a human hair, yet it can carry enormous amounts of data: phone calls, internet signals, television shows, and more.

Here's how it works: information gets converted into light signals that travel through these transparent fibers by bouncing off the walls in a zigzag pattern, similar to how a laser pointer beam might bounce between mirrors. Because light travels so fast and the glass is remarkably pure, signals can zip through fiber optic cables for miles without losing strength.

Fiber optics transformed modern communication. Before fiber optics became widespread in the 1980s and 1990s, phone companies used copper wires that could carry only limited information. A single fiber optic cable can carry thousands of times more data than old copper wires. This technology made possible the high-speed internet connections that let you video chat with relatives across the country, stream movies, or play online games with friends.

Fiber optics isn't just for communication. Doctors use fiber optic cameras to see inside the human body without surgery. Deep-sea explorers use fiber optics to transmit video from submarines. The technology even helps create spectacular light displays and decorations.