CSMA/CD Continued
Collisions occur when two hosts transmit data on the network at the same time. The area in which the collision originates and effects other stations is referred to as the collision domain.
Since a collision of frames makes them unintelligible to the hosts on the network, such a situation is undesirable.
Once the sending devices detect a collision, they transmit a 32-bit jam signal that tells all other devices except the collision parties that they are not to transmit for a brief period (9.6 microseconds or slightly more).
The two stations then use an algorithm to enter a backoff period, which causes them not to transmit for a random interval.
The backoff period ensures that those two stations do not immediately cause another collision.