Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 78 Networking Fundamentals + – + – Lamp Splice point Power source A Switch Lamp Splice point Power source B Short Switch Figure 2-35 A correctly wired circuit and a shorted circuit. A—This circuit is correctly wired. When the switch is closed, the current flows through the complete circuit, lighting the lamp. B—In this circuit, the wires are shorted (touching). When the switch is closed, the current takes the shortest path, and the lamp does not light. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Open An open is just as the name implies—a wiring fault that occurs when the circuit has an open spot along the length of the conductor. Look at Figure 2-36. In the illustration, you can see the open is at the splice point. When the switch is closed, no electrical energy can reach the lamp. Th e lamp will not light because the circuit is incomplete. When an open occurs in a network system, no data can travel past the point of the open. 5.3 NET