ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

how does tcp/ip work

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It is like a set of rules that makes sure information can be sent from one place to another over the Internet.

Think of your computer like a house and TCP/IP like the address of the house. When you send an email, post a picture, or search the web, you are sending out messages to different places on the Internet. This message needs an address so that it can be delivered to the right place. TCP/IP is like the address for these messages. It doesn't actually send the information, but it tells the message where to go.

Once the message is delivered to the right house (computer) the receiving computer needs to know how to read the message. That's where the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) comes in. It breaks the message down into smaller parts and makes sure that each part gets to the right place.

The Internet Protocol (IP) is like a post office worker. It knows how to deliver the parts of the message to the right house. It sends out the parts of the message across the Internet so that they get to the right places.

Once the message is at the receiving end, TCP and IP work together to make sure that the message is put back together in the right order. Then the message can be read and understood.

So in short, TCP/IP helps information move from one place to another over the Internet. It works like an address for messages and a post office for delivering the parts of the message to the right place.