The Internet is essentially one big, loosely connected network of phone lines and satellites that links together smaller networks and individual computers all over the world. In order for information to travel on the Internet, a computer has to break down a single message into smaller chunks of data called packets and send those pakcets through a modem and across the phone lines. These packets move independently from one another, one network to another, until they reach their final target destination, where another computer gathers them together and reassembles them into the original message. This is why the Internet came into existence. In 1969, the US Department of Defense connected several major computing centers together in a networked fashion because communications would continue even if a natural disaster or armed confilct destroyed parts of the network.
Bits are tiny pieces of data.
Most of the modems sold these days have a speed of 28,800 bps or 56,600 bps. However these numbers are usually expressed as 28.8 kbps or 56.6kbps. These are fast when compared to the 2,400 bps modems that were the standard just a few years ago. The Internet contains many different parts, with the most famous part being the World Wide Web. The Web also gives users the ability to jump from site to site by clicking highlited sections of text, called hyperlinks .