Multipath propagation results in what effects?

• A. Increased signal strength
• B. Inter-symbol interference due to fading
• C. No impact on reception
• D. Fading and inter-symbol interference

Answer: (D)

Multipath propagation creates several copies of the transmitted signal that arrive at the receiver at different times and with different amplitudes and phases. When these copies superimpose, they can either reinforce or cancel each other, causing the received signal level to fluctuate over time and frequency—this is fading. Because those delayed copies can still be within the symbol interval, energy from one symbol can spill into the next, producing inter-symbol interference. So, the typical impact of multipath is both fading and inter-symbol interference. It’s not simply stronger reception, and it’s not zero impact; in real channels, you often see both effects, especially in multipath-rich or mobile environments. Techniques like equalization, diversity, or multicarrier modulation are used to mitigate these problems.