Which type of cable has a ground wire and carries analog signals as one hot wire and one cold wire in reverse polarity to cancel noise and interference?

The correct choice pertains to balanced cables, which are specifically designed to minimize noise and interference in audio and video applications. Balanced cables feature a ground wire along with two signal wires: one carries the original signal (hot), while the other carries a mirrored version of that signal in reverse polarity (cold). This configuration allows the system to effectively cancel out any noise that may be picked up along the length of the cable.

The design of balanced cables is pivotal in professional audio environments and long-distance signal transmission, where electromagnetic interference is a significant concern. By utilizing the phase cancellation effect, balanced cables ensure that the integrity of the audio or video signal remains intact, providing clearer and more reliable performance.

In contrast, unbalanced cables do not have this dual wiring system, making them more susceptible to noise and interference, especially over longer distances. Coaxial cables, while they are designed to carry high-frequency signals and may include a ground connection, typically do not use the reverse polarity technique employed by balanced cables. Fiber optic cables transmit data as light rather than electrical signals, eliminating the issues related to electromagnetic interference altogether, but they do not use a hot and cold wire setup common to balanced cable configurations.