_____ refers to the time lapse between data being sent and received, and it can have a significant impact on performance.

• A. Latency
• B. Throughput
• C. Bandwidth
• D. Jitter

Answer: (A)

Latency is the time delay between when data is sent and when it is received, incorporating propagation, transmission, processing, and queuing delays. This delay directly affects how quickly a system can respond, which is why it has a big impact on performance—especially for interactive applications like gaming, VoIP, or real-time control, where even small delays can feel sluggish.

Latency is different from throughput, which measures how much data can be transferred per unit time, and from bandwidth, which is the maximum data rate of the channel. Jitter, meanwhile, refers to the variation in latency over time, which can cause inconsistent performance.