Which of the following is a short section of jacketed or buffered fiber cable?

The correct answer is patch cords. Patch cords are short sections of jacketed or buffered fiber cable specifically designed for connecting different pieces of network equipment. Their construction allows for flexibility and ease of use in a variety of settings, making them ideal for linking devices in a network setup, such as between routers, switches, and servers.

Pigtails, while also related to fiber optics, generally refer to short lengths of fiber cable that have connectors on one end only, typically used for splicing into a larger cable run. Electromagnetic cable generally refers to cables that carry electrical signals; fiber optics primarily utilize light transmission, which does not fall under this category. Optical connectors are components used to join optical fibers, but they are not cables themselves; rather, they help connect fiber cables or pigtails to equipment. Patch cords, therefore, stand out as the option that meets the criteria of being a short section of jacketed or buffered fiber cable.