Serial means one event at a time. It is usually contrasted
with parallel, meaning more than one event happening at a time. In data
transmission, the techniques of time division and space division are used,
where time separates the transmission of individual bits of information
sent serially and space (on multiple lines or paths) can be used to have
multiple bits sent in parallel.
In the context of computer hardware and data transmission: serial connection,
operation, and media usually indicate a simpler, slower operation and
parallel indicates a faster operation. This indication doesn't always
hold since a serial medium (for example, fiber optic cable) can be much
faster than a slower medium that carries multiple signals in parallel.
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