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Lesson 7 of 8

Track quiz

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6 min

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How the Internet Works: the five ideas
IdeaRemember
NetworksA message travels along a path of working links. If one path is cut, it uses another, if there is one.
A web addressThe part before the slash names the computer. The part after it names the page.
Asking and answeringYour phone sends a request. A server sends an answer. Each piece of a page needs its own.
SearchA search reads an index built earlier. It lists only pages the engine has visited.
Cables and radioRadio carries the short first hop from a phone. Cables carry most of the rest.

A cable between two cities is cut. Pages from that city still open, a little slower. Why?

  • The message never used a cable
  • The message went round another path
  • The cable mended itself

A slash splits a web address in two. What do the two parts do?

  • Both name the same page
  • The first names the computer. The second names the page
  • The first names the writer. The second names the day

A simple page has words and 2 photos. How many requests does it need?

  • 1
  • 3
  • 2

Words appear first on a page. A photo appears a moment later. Why?

  • The photo has its own request and answer
  • The photo was already on the phone
  • The server forgot to send the photo

You type two words. Results appear at once. What did the engine read?

  • Every page on the internet, very fast
  • An index it built earlier
  • Only pages you opened before

A page went online this morning. The engine has not visited it. Can a search find it?

  • Yes, at once
  • No, not until the engine visits it
  • Yes, but only for you

A search result is at the top of the list. What does that show?

  • That it is true
  • That the engine ranked it high
  • That everyone has read it

A friend says a phone has no wire. So its messages touch no cable. Is that right?

  • Yes, radio stays in the air the whole trip
  • No. The radio hop usually ends at a box joined to a cable
  • Yes, unless the phone is old

You can follow a page from your tap to a far computer. Then you can follow it back. A page waits on a server until a request asks for it.

Next comes Programming with Blocks II. It starts with a box that keeps a number.

Reveal every answer to finish this lesson.