ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Physical coding sublayer

Imagine you have a secret code that you want to share with your friend, but you can only communicate by sending messages through a noisy, bumpy road. This is kind of how computers communicate with each other. They need to send information, but the journey can be difficult and the message might get confusing or lost along the way.

The Physical Coding Sublayer (PCS) is like your secret code, but for computer communication. It's the part of the communication process that helps ensure that the message is sent correctly and without any mistakes.

When computers send information, they use something called "bits," which are a series of 1's and 0's that represent the information being sent. But these bits can get mixed up during the journey between computers, just like your secret code might get jumbled up on a bumpy road.

That's where the PCS comes in. It takes the bits of information and converts them into a special code that can be recognized and understood even if there's some noise or interference during the journey. Just like how your secret code helps you and your friend understand each other, the PCS helps computers understand the information being sent.

In summary, the PCS is a special code that helps computers communicate with each other by ensuring that the information being sent is reliable and understandable even if the journey is difficult or noisy.