Router (computing)

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/router-computing

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the conceptual origins?Packet switching theories developed in the 1960s by Baran and Davies
2. What is the early implementations?Interface Message Processors (IMPs) for ARPANET, developed by BBN
3. What is a router?A router is a smart device that looks at the address on each data packet and decides the best path to send it to its destination.
4. How do routers know where to send data?They compare the packet’s destination address with a routing table inside the router, which is updated by special rules called routing protocols like BGP, OSPF, or RIP.

IP Address: A unique numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network using the Internet Protocol.
Routing Protocol: A set of rules that governs how routers exchange information to determine the best paths for data.