Noise is any undesired signal in a communication circuit.

Another definition cal ls noise unwanted disturbances superimposed on a useful signal, which tends to o bscure its information content. There are many varieties of noise; however, the four most important to the telecommunication/data communication technologist are thermal noise, intermodulation noise, crosstalk and impulse noise. Thermal noise occurs in all transmission media and communication equipment, incl uding passive devices. It arises from random electron motion and is characterize d by a uniform distribution of energy over the frequency spectrum with a Gaussia n distribution of levels. Every equipment element and the transmission medium it self contribute thermal noise to a communication system if the temperature of th at element or medium is above absolute zero. Whenever molecules heat above absol ute zero, thermal noise will be present. The more heat generated or applied, the greater the level of thermal noise. Intermodulation (IM) noise is the result of the presence of intermodulation prod ucts. If two signals of frequencies F1 and F2 are passed through a nonlinear dev ice or medium, the result will