attenuation

Attenuation is the reduction in strength or intensity of a signal as it travels through a medium, such as air, cables, or space. Imagine shouting across a room; your voice gets quieter the farther it goes. In technology, this means that signals like radio, Wi-Fi, or light waves lose energy over distance or through obstacles, which can weaken their clarity or reach. Attenuation is a natural and expected part of signal transmission, and engineers work to minimize it to maintain good communication quality.