What if you had a computer with access to the Internet and wanted to learn more about entertainment events in Providence? What would you do? You might use the world wide web to go to the Providence Performing Arts Center home page, or e-mail AS220 (a Providence public arts space) and ask to be put on their mailing list. You might have even done some of these things before, but have you ever thought about how e-mail and the world wide web really work? And how does your Internet Service Provider (such as AOL or Compuserve) work to allow you to access these resources?

Welcome to Wires, an interactive tool which allows you to explore the inner workings of the Internet. Follow our tour from start to finish, or skip around as you like. We will first explore the various components of the Internet and how they interact, then move through e-mail, the web and Internet Service Providers to learn in greater detail how they use the Internet to transmit to you the information you need. If there is any specific topic you would like to learn about, click on the FIND button (in the menu bar at the bottom of the page) to go directly to the glossary.

Note to educators: Please feel free to use this project in your classrooms. We ask only that you mail us; we are very interested in where and how our project is being used.

Note: This project is for educational purposes only.