Hands-on Model of the Internet

2001
National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation

A simulator to help visitors understand the Internet. Data on the Internet are consisting of alignments of 0 and 1. When the alignments are divided into clusters to which an IP address is given, each cluster is called “packet.” Packets are transmitted from one network to another to exchange data. In this Hands-on Model of the Internet, packets are made with white and black balls in place of 0 and 1 to help visitors understand how the Internet works.

photo by Eiji Ina