What is the Internet, and how is it different from the World Wide Web?

The Internet is the global physical network of connected computers; the Web is one service that runs on the Internet — websites accessed via browsers They are the same thing — Internet and World Wide Web mean identical things The Web is the physical cables; the Internet is the software that runs on them The Internet is owned by governments; the Web is owned by private companies

What is an IP address and why does every device on the Internet need one?

A unique numerical address (like 192.168.1.1) that identifies a device on a network so data can be sent to and from the right place A password that devices use to prove they're allowed on the network The speed of the device's internet connection in megabits per second A code that identifies the brand and model of a device

What does DNS (Domain Name System) do?

It translates human-readable domain names (like google.com) into the IP addresses computers actually use to connect It encrypts your web traffic to keep it private from hackers It checks whether a website is safe before letting you visit it It stores copies of websites closer to users to make them load faster

What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTPS uses encryption (TLS) to protect data in transit; HTTP sends data in plain text that anyone on the network can read HTTPS is faster than HTTP because it compresses data during transmission HTTP is the newer and more secure version that replaced HTTPS HTTPS requires a paid subscription while HTTP is free for all websites

What happens when you type 'www.example.com' into your browser and press Enter?

Browser checks DNS cache, queries DNS server for the IP, opens a TCP connection to the server, sends an HTTPS request, and the server sends back the webpage The browser downloads the entire internet, then searches locally for the page The browser contacts your ISP who then retrieves the page for you Browser sends your request to a satellite which beams it to the website's server

What is cloud computing and why have businesses adopted it?

Using remote servers (owned by AWS, Google, Azure) to run software and store data instead of owning physical servers — offering scalability and cost savings Storing data in actual clouds using weather satellites Software that helps meteorologists predict cloud formations and weather A wireless network that doesn't require any physical cables

What is a web browser and what does it actually do?

Software that retrieves web pages from servers, interprets HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and renders them as the visual pages you see A program that lets you search the internet using keywords An app that connects you to your ISP's servers Software that protects you from dangerous websites automatically

What is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) and what role does it play?

A company (like Comcast or AT&T) that provides your physical connection to the internet and routes your traffic to the rest of the world The company that owns the internet globally A government agency that monitors internet safety A company that builds and maintains websites for businesses

Who 'owns' or controls the Internet?

No single entity owns the Internet — it's a decentralized network of networks operated by many ISPs, companies, governments, and universities worldwide The US government owns and controls the Internet since it funded ARPANET Google and Facebook own the Internet since they operate its largest services The United Nations owns and operates the global Internet infrastructure

What is latency and how does it affect your internet experience?

Latency is the time delay between sending a request and receiving a response — high latency makes web pages slow to respond and online games feel laggy Latency is how much data your connection can transfer per second Latency is the percentage of data packets that are lost during transmission Latency is the delay your computer adds when processing downloaded data