Computer Science · Data transmission. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.
Data sent over a network is split into small pieces called packets. Each packet has a header, a payload (the data itself) and a trailer.
In packet switching each packet is sent on its own. Routers choose the route for each one, so packets may take different routes and arrive out of order. The receiving device uses the packet numbers to put them back in order.
You also need the ways bits travel. Serial sends one bit at a time down one wire; parallel sends several bits at once down several wires. The direction can be simplex, half-duplex or full-duplex.
Students say all packets follow the same route. In packet switching each packet can take a different route and they are reordered at the destination.
Answer: Serial, full-duplex transmission.
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