The Internet

The Internet is possible because all of the connected devices follow the set of protocols (rules) for communication. The main protocol for the Internet is called TCPIP, and it defines how traffic is sent. Each message sent over the Internet is first broken up into small pieces called "packets." Packets travel through the Internet separately, often taking different paths, and are re-assembled at their destination. Destinations on the Internet (such as a computer) each have a special address called an IP address. IP addresses may look something like 192.168.1.1. Every device that communicates on a network must have a unique IP address. Because it is difficult for humans to use all those numbers, we have a system that allows us to use names instead. This is called DNS (domain naming system), and it allows us to use "google.com" rather than "64.233.177.139" when we want to search the Internet, for example.

World Wide Web