Computers on the Internet understand each other because they speak a similar language. This language is called “TCP/IP,” which is an abbreviation for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol.

Let’s look at how an email message works. If you type an email to your grandmother, the computer — just like the post office — will want to know where to deliver the message.

That is why you provide an email address when you send an email. Unlike a phone, which transmits your voice, the computer transmits your message in the language of the Internet.

Maybe you have heard of the World Wide Web and wondered what spiders are doing on the Internet? Well, the “Web” has nothing to do with our eight-legged friends. The World Wide Web (WWW) is just a part of the Internet that strings together bits of information to make them easier to find.

Let’s pretend you’re writing a report on the history of Wonderopolis. You head to the Wonderopolis Public Library to find some local history books. Imagine how long it would take you to find the information you needed if all the books in the library were thrown in a giant pile.

Thankfully, the Wonderopolis Library is logically organized into sections, and each section is clearly labeled. All you need to do is go to the nonfiction area, find the history shelf and locate the local history section. Within minutes, you have access to the information you need.

This is how the World Wide Web works, too. Instead of all the information on the Internet being thrown together in an electronic pile, the Web creates links between related information to help keep it organized.