<communications> The progressive reduction in amplitude of a
signal as it travels farther from the point of origin.
For example, an electric signal's amplitude reduces with
distance due to electrical impedance. Attenuation is
usually measured in decibels [per metre?].
Attenuation does not imply appreciable modification of the
shape of the waveform (distortion), though as the signal
amplitude falls the signal-to-noise ratio will also fall
unless the channel itself is noise free or the signal is
amplified at some intermediate point(s) along the channel.
["Networking Essentials, second edition",
Microsoft Corporation, pub. Microsoft Press 1997].
(2003-07-29)
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