Final answer:
The media access method used by Ethernet is CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection).
Step-by-step explanation:
The media access method used by Ethernet is CSMA/CD - Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection. This method is used to regulate how devices on an Ethernet network communicate and share the network's bandwidth.
CSMA/CD works by having each device on the network listen to the network traffic before transmitting data. If the network is clear, the device can transmit its data. However, if two devices attempt to transmit at the same time, a collision occurs, and both devices stop transmitting and wait for a random amount of time before retrying.
CSMA/CD is used in legacy Ethernet networks where collisions are detected and controlled. In modern Ethernet networks, such as Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet, CSMA/CD is no longer utilized as these networks have sufficient bandwidth and advanced collision avoidance mechanisms.