Which of the following is not the characteristics of packet switching?

Answer: 'Requires a dedicated path' is not a characteristic of packet switching.

Explanation:

• Packet switching breaks data into packets that are sent independently over the network.

• Each packet may take a different route; routing decisions are made per packet based on current network conditions.

• Packet switching supports dynamic routing where routers forward packets along possibly changing paths.

Why 'Requires a dedicated path' is not correct: Requiring a dedicated end-to-end path describes circuit switching, where a fixed circuit is reserved for the duration of a session. Packet switching uses shared links and statistical multiplexing rather than reserving a single dedicated path.

Tip: If a choice mentions a dedicated or reserved path for the whole communication, think circuit switching; packet switching uses independent packets and shared resources.