Final answer:
The device that converts printed materials into electronic signals for transmission over telephone lines and recreates them at the destination is the fax machine.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equipment that converts printed words and graphics into electronic signals, allowing them to be transmitted across telephone lines and then reassembled into a facsimile of the words and graphics on the receiving end, is the fax machine. Fax machines operate by scanning documents, encoding the content as electronic signals, transmitting those signals over a telephone network, and finally reconstructing the scanned image on another fax machine. This process enables the faithful reproduction of documents over long distances.
The equipment that converts printed words and graphics into electronic signals and allows them to be transmitted across telephone lines and reassembled into a facsimile on the receiving end is a fax machine. A fax machine scans the printed document using a scanner and converts it into electronic signals. These signals are then transmitted over telephone lines using a modem. On the receiving end, the fax machine reassembles the signals into a copy of the original document.