281
world wide web
The world wide web (www, or “web”) is a standard
way of making information available over the internet.
when a user accesses information on the web, their
computer requests data files, called web pages, from
other computers on the internet, called servers. on
the user’s computer, a program called a web browser
displays the words and pictures from the web page on
the screen. web pages include links that, when clicked,
access related pages. Search engines are programs that
help users find useful pages. The user chooses words to
search for—called search terms—and a special server
creates a clickable list of relevant pages.A page from the Dorling Kindersley website.Many cell phones
can now connect
to the Internet. This
smartphone enables
users to browse the
web and email while
on the move.This transmitter/receiver is knowns as a
“dongle” and connects a computer
to the Internet using a
cellular network.This diagram is a
representation of a tiny
section of the Internet.
Each small straight line
is a connection between
two computers.A modem/router is used to connect a
computer to the Internet via a copper
wire or optical fiber link.The inTerneT iS a way for computers around
the world to swap information. it started as a US
military research project in 1969, but was opened to
the public in 1988. at first, the internet just carried
email and simple data files. in the early 1990s, the
invention of the world wide web brought the
internet to the world’s attention. it gave anyone an
easy way to access information across the internet.
Today, words, pictures, music, videos, and any other
type of data can be passed across the internet almost
instantly. This has changed the way we live and it is
estimated that almost 40 percent of the world’s
population now has internet access.Internet
USeS for The inTerneT
The ability to find information via
the world wide web is just one of
many uses for the internet. Text
messages can be swapped between
messenger programs enabling real-
time chat. Music and video can
be compressed into manageable
amounts of data so radio and
television can be sent over the
internet. Video-phone calls, as
shown, are also increasingly popular.
exchanging computer game data
allows players across the the world
to compete with one another.how The
inTerneT workS
Computers can exchange information with
nearby computers over connections called networks.
The internet (short for inter-network) connects
together separate networks, enabling computers all
over the world to swap data. To send a data file, such
as an MP3 music file, to a particular computer, the file is broken into
chunks that are passed between these computers until they reach their
destination. Computers usually swap data through wires as electrical
signals, or through fiber optic cables as pulses of light.ConneCTing To The inTerneT
a device called a modem, shown below, is required
to translate messages into electronic data that can be
sent from one computer to another and displayed on
screen. To use the internet from home, normally
the user connects to a computer via an internet
Service Provider (iSP), a company that offers
internet connections for a small fee. a copper
wire or optical fibre link is used to connect
to an iSP. for people on the move, mobile
devices can connect to the internet without
using any wires by using a radio link, such
as a cellular network.Computers
information technology
Telephones
SatellitesFind out more
US_281_Internet.indd 281 21/01/16 5:01 pm