💻 Computers and code

A computer does not really think like you do, it follows instructions incredibly fast. Deep inside, it stores and moves everything as tiny switches that are either on or off, which we write as ones and zeros. By flicking billions of these switches every second, it can do sums, show pictures and run games.

Code is a set of exact instructions that tells a computer precisely what to do, step by step. People write it in special languages the computer understands, and it must be spelled out perfectly because a computer does exactly what it is told, nothing more. Games, apps and websites are all built from code.

The internet is a giant worldwide network that links millions of computers so they can share information. When you open a website or send a message, it is broken into tiny pieces that travel through cables and signals to another computer, then get put back together. It connects almost the whole world in seconds.

Wi-Fi carries information using invisible radio waves that travel through the air. A little box called a router turns your internet signal into these waves, and your phone or tablet catches them and turns them back into pictures and messages. It is a bit like an invisible conversation happening all around you.