How the internet sends information
Aligned to CSTA-NI — CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards.
What this lesson teaches
When you send something over the internet, it does not travel in one big piece. It gets broken into many small pieces called packets that hop through lots of connected computers and get put back together at the other end. This happens in a tiny fraction of a second. The internet is real, physical computers and wires, not magic in the air.
Worked example
Imagine mailing a long letter cut into many numbered postcards. Each postcard can take a different road across the country, but because they are numbered, your friend can stack them back in order and read the whole letter.
Practice questions
- What is a packet?
- How does a message get put back together correctly after the pieces travel separately?
- Explain why the internet is not really just floating in the air.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Cómo envía información el internet
Cuando envías algo por internet, no viaja en una sola pieza grande. Se divide en muchas piezas pequeñas llamadas paquetes que saltan a través de muchas computadoras conectadas y se vuelven a unir al llegar al destino. Esto ocurre en una fracción de segundo. El internet son computadoras y cables reales y físicos, no algo mágico que flota en el aire.
Ejemplo: Imagina enviar una carta larga cortada en muchas tarjetas postales numeradas. Cada tarjeta puede tomar un camino diferente a través del país, pero como están numeradas, tu amigo puede acomodarlas en orden y leer la carta completa.
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