Which term describes the reduction of signal strength as it travels through a medium?

The term that describes the reduction of signal strength as it travels through a medium is attenuation. This phenomenon occurs when the energy of the signal diminishes due to various factors such as distance, obstacles, and the properties of the medium through which it is propagating. For example, as a signal moves through air, walls, or other materials, it loses energy and becomes weaker, resulting in a decrease in signal quality and clarity.

Attenuation is a crucial concept in fields like telecommunications and electronic warfare, as it affects the reliability of communication systems. Understanding attenuation helps engineers design systems that can effectively compensate for signal loss and maintain the integrity of communications. Other terms like interference, static, and fading relate to different phenomena, but they do not specifically describe the gradual weakening of a signal over distance as accurately as attenuation does.