transmission medium

A transmission medium (plural transmission media) is a material substance (solid, liquid or gas) which can propagate energy waves. For example, the transmission medium for sound received by the ears is usually air, but solids and liquids may also act as transmission media for sound.The absence of a material medium (the vacuum of empty space) can also be thought of as a transmission medium for electromagnetic waves such as light and radio waves. While material substance is not required for electromagnetic waves to propagate, such waves are usually affected by the transmission media through which they pass, for instance by absorption or by reflection or refraction at the interfaces between media.
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Any material substance, such as fiber-optic cable, twisted-wire pair, coaxial cable, dielectric-slab waveguide, water, and air, that can be used for the propagation of signals, usually in the form of modulated radio, light, or acoustic waves, from one point to another. Note: By extension, free space can also be considered a transmission medium for electromagnetic waves, although it is not a material medium.