Think it through together · A little story
The robot sends a small probe, waits for the other side to reply, and records how long it took. What does that number tell us?
Lay out the process
- Send a probeRecord the start time
- Wait for a replyMake a round trip across the network
- Receive the responseCalculate the time difference
- Repeat and observeLook for variation and loss
Ping commonly measures round-trip time using ICMP Echo Requests and Replies, and checks whether a response arrives.
It is like asking “Are you there?” This can be useful, but it does not perform the full job of a website or game.
Some networks block or limit probes, so no response does not necessarily mean the other device is turned off.
Your turn to try
Could ping get a response while signing in to a website still fails?
Have you thought it through? Open for an explanation
Yes. A successful network probe only shows that one probing path works; the sign-in service may have a different problem.
Take away one discovery
Ping commonly measures round-trip time using ICMP Echo Requests and Replies, and checks whether a response arrives.
Try covering the diagram above and explaining each step to someone in your family. If one step is hard to explain, go back and look at that card again.