AP CSP Day 18: Metadata
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Practice Question
When an email is sent over the Internet, the message is divided into packets. Which of the following is true about how these packets travel?
In packet switching, individual packets can travel along different routes through the network based on availability and congestion. Each packet carries sequence information so they can be reassembled in the correct order at the destination, regardless of arrival order.
A) A key advantage of packet switching is that packets can independently find the best available route. B is correct. C) Multiple packets can travel simultaneously through different paths — this parallelism improves efficiency. D) All digital data, regardless of size, can be divided into packets for transmission.
Students think packets travel in strict sequence along a single path, like cars in a convoy. Packets are more like individual letters in the postal system — each can take a different route.
Packet switching = packets take independent paths. Circuit switching = dedicated path. The Internet uses packet switching for efficiency and fault tolerance.
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