The internet is a large group of computers. They are joined so they can talk. Cables can join them. Wireless signals can too.

Open a website, and your device asks a server. The server sends the page back.

A server is a computer. It stores pages. It gives them to other computers that ask.

Messages go in small pieces called packets. Each one is like an envelope. It holds a piece of the message.

Each device on the internet has its own address. It is made of numbers. It is called an IP address.

An IP address is like a street address. It says where it can be found. The Domain Name System is like an address book.

The web and the internet are not the same thing. The web is one service that runs on it. Email is another service built on top of it.

Cables lie on the sea floor. They carry almost all data between countries. This is true as of November 2026.

Words to know

• server: computer that gives
• packets: small pieces
• envelope: holds a letter
• wireless: without cables