A hub copies and forwards packets to every connected port, effectively splitting what?

The correct choice emphasizes how a hub operates within a network. A hub is a fundamental networking device that connects multiple Ethernet devices, effectively making them act as a single network segment. When the hub receives a data packet, it indiscriminately forwards that packet to every port on the device, regardless of the intended destination.

This behavior leads to the sharing of the overall network bandwidth among all connected devices. As multiple devices attempt to communicate over the same hub, they share the same channel, which can lead to contention for that bandwidth. Hence, each device only has access to a portion of the total bandwidth, which can impact performance, especially in a busy network.

This understanding of hub behavior illustrates how communication is managed within a network and sheds light on the limitations of hubs, making clear that they can become a bottleneck in environments with high traffic or multiple active devices.