6.02 Internet: Basic Concepts and Terminology

6.2 Internet: Basic Concepts and Terminology Curriculum Page

Portfolio Reflection Questions:

1. What is bandwidth? What do you think affects the differences in bandwidth globally as well as in different locations in the U.S.?
   • Bandwidth is the rate at which data are downloaded or uploaded in a network. I think the main factors that impact the differences in bandwidth include the average income and the division in wealth. The larger the difference between wealth, the larger the difference in bandwidth. Usually it is the poorer regions/nations that have slower and less efficient internet. Another factor includes the amount of users on a given network.
2. What is latency? How does it differ from bandwidth? Why is it a useful measure?
   • Latency is a measure of the time it takes a piece of data to reach its destination (delay after it has been requested by the server and by the time it gets back to the user's screen). Latency is different from bandwidth because bandwidth is the actual amount (quantitative) of data that is being worked with, while the latency is the action that must occur, with a slight delay, in order to receive the data. It is a useful measure because latency enables users to see the quality of their network.
3. What is the digital divide? What are some ways to reduce the effects of the digital divide?
   • The digital divide is the division between people that have wide access to the internet, and those that don't. Some ways to reduce the effects of the digital divide include making the internet more affordable and making more technology available globally.