How the internet works

Before exploring what connects a laptop or computer to the internet, you might want to know what the internet and world wide web are exactly. The world wide web is not the same as the internet even though the words are often used to mean the same thing.

The internet is a global network allowing information to pass from one computer to the next. This is made possible by a network of wires buried in the ground and beneath the ocean floor. The internet is the infrastructure that enables computers connected to this network to communicate and share information with one another. We will look at communicating through the internet in Lesson 1 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .

Your computer must be connected to the internet before you can access the world wide web. The world wide web (www or the web) is the collection of websites found on the internet. It is the biggest application on the internet, running on millions of servers worldwide. The web can be accessed from our computers, laptops and phones.

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A background image of a globe of interconnected lights. In the foreground, there is a monitor, laptop, tablet and smartphone. Their screens display the same network of lights.

Think of the world wide web as a big virtual city where we communicate with each other online. Just like no one owns a city, no one owns the web. Anyone can move in and set up a website. We may have to pay an internet service provider (ISP) to gain access. Like utility companies, these companies provide a crucial service, but they don’t own the web.