The Collision Problem That Crippled Ethernet (And How We Solved It)
Ever wonder how computers actually talk to each other over a wire? In this episode of ScienceLive, we break it all down — starting with the earliest Ethernet networks running over coaxial cable, through the switch to Cat5 cabling, and into the fundamental building block of all network communication: the packet.
You’ll learn what packets are, how they carry your data across a network, and why early Ethernet had a serious flaw — data collisions that could bring an entire network to its knees. We explain why collisions happen and what they mean for the data you’re trying to send.
Then comes the part we’re most excited about: how my team and I discovered a solution to stop packet collisions entirely, leading to the invention of WideBand networking. In this episode we give you the teaser — next week, we’ll teach you exactly how it works.
This lesson is for anyone who wants to truly understand computer networking from the ground up — how Ethernet came about, how it works, and where it’s headed.
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hey from Texas
Dr. Billings, It is so crazy how many inventions of yours we are using to watch Science Live. You are blessing so many people with your inventions. Thank You!
Never knew there were different types of Ethernet!! That’s so cool!!!
Watching from SC!
hello from texas!
i love science live
Gigabit ethernet is interesting to learn about but I think its cool!
I can’t believe r-51 escaped again!
Hello from MT!
Loving the lives!
Awesome live thank you!
Does fiber optic cable suffer from the same data collision issues as ethernet or coaxial cable?
Hi from Tennessee
Go for the gold!
Hi! From South Dakota!!
Why dose the circuit board that Mr John showed in the video have so many circles the cool it off, why can’t it just have a long bar that just cool every single one .
I love science live!!!
Hello from CT!
Watching from California!
Science rocks!
Very interesting, Love it
Wow!! I never know this!! Acellus is great!
This is so cool!
Wow!!! They ought to teach this in most schools!
This is cool.
I like how I can rewatch the live later or if I miss it I can, thank you for doing this on youtube!
I love the science lives I can’t wait for the next one
I love science love!!!
Good science live tonight.
hi from ohio!
Amazing effort this week!
Hey, from va.
Loved this episode.
Hello from NY!
Acellus rocks
Hello from Massachusetts!
Very interesting!
So amazing how he built it by scratch!
I know, right? I hope I can build something just how he did!
Why does gigabit Ethernet make video streaming faster than regular Ethernet?
Wonderful live tonight
This was great!!
Networking technology is very interesting.
this is super fun
I love scene live and I love inventing
science live isss sooo fun
I love Sciencelive
Science Live Is Fun.l
Hi from Texas!!
issac from MD
The Ethernet is very interesting, and I would have never known about it if it was not covered here.
Awesome episode!
I really appreciate the diagrams that are included in these lessons. They help me understand these topics so much easier.
Love it
When were cables first invented?
I think its really cool that you brought up Coax cable because I am a licensed Amateur Radio operator and we tend to use coaxial cable to connect an antenna to a base station. I also hope R-51 comes back soon, he’s definitely the life of the party on science live!
Love these videos
Hi from Chicago
hi from Connecticut
LOVE THIS VIDEO ..
VERY INFORMATIVE
Very interesting
Hi from South Carolina! !
so fun !
I didn’t realize collisions could be avoided with ethernet. :o)
I learned a lot from this science live.
love the baseball part
SAYING GOOD EVENING FROM OREGON
hello from VA! Do you think there are more things that can be done with the already existing ethernet technology?
Wow! Ethernet sounds really cool!
i have ethernet!
Hi from South Carolina!!
Wow that’s both really cool and crazy how it was once believed that streaming a video wasn’t even possible.
I love science live
Awesome Science Live
Hi from the Caribbean
Hi From Kentucky
Great episode tonight! Watching from Florida!
hi from va
hello this is Aaron from Arkansas!! I learned so much from this first science live! My whole family watched it with me!!
Happy Wednesday Aaron and family!! So glad to have you all here!
I learned about Ron Crane.
So glad to this episode.
Hey this is Savannah from Texas and i love acellus
Ethernet is so cool.
Hi from Arkansas!
Again, best of luck to everyone in the science fair!
So excited to see all of our entries! Tune in at Acellus World to see our winners!!
👍
Tennessee here! absolutely love acellus!
I’m so excited to learn!!!
Hi from NY, this is such a cool concept!
Awesome video today. I loved it so much!!!!🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋💜💙❤❤💜💖💗💘💛💚💓😍🤍🧡🖤😻💞💕♥
Thanks for tuning in Lilly!! 🔬💙
Hello from Florida!
Hi From Texas. Love Science Live!
Hi from sc
Hi from Maryland and happy Wednesday everyone!
Hello from Florida!
happy science live day!
I have ethernet myself and it makes my wifi way faster.
hey from texas
would you solve it the same way if it happened again?
I learn so much from this videos
love this!
Does fiber optic cable suffer from the same data collision issues as ethernet or coaxial cable?
Good evening from FL!
Oh i’ve seen wires like that in my house and my grandpa was a engineer.
excited to learn something in science live today
hi from Ecuador!!
How can 1 billion bits per second work?!🤯
Hope everyone had a great holiday! Loved learning about Ethernet and how how it helps our technology.
Science live is always so cool!
hello from omaha nebraska
love the videos!
Do you think there is room for improvement for the ethernet?
i like how they brought people who worked on ethernet i think that’s cool
This was very interesting! Thank you!
hello from texas
hi from MN
I never knew that’s how they did it
Ethernet having 100 computers at the start to where we are now is bananas!
hi from florda i love lives
I love you so much!
Hii from Panama
Hello Diego! Welcome, we are so happy to have you with us! 🔬
Awesome!
This is so cool, though! I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Ethernet before this! :0
Ethernet had lots of accidents before they fixed them and that’s cool. Area-51 was funny of course.
R-51 always has something in store for us 😉
I always love the personification of computers talking to each other!
This was so interesting I loved it
As a kid using pc, ethernet is really important science live is so fun!
How could he ever build something like that from scrach? Its amazing!!
hi from colrado
Hey from nc! great live tonight!
Hello from Texas!
Hello from Indiana
This is so cool. I love science live. Quick question, where is Cody from the inventineers club I have’nt seen him in a while.
Hello Dean, thank you for watching! The Inventioneers & Protégés will be back next week with more shenanigans 😉
I love science live
Great show!
goooood job prodojs
love this live!!
Hi from NC!!!
this is fun
think this might be one of my fovorite
Hi from NC
Great science live!
i like the video because it is cool
Hi from St Louis
Hello from Montana! Great live!!
So interesting to learn more about computer networks!
Technology can be really amazing!!
Thank you for another amazing science live.
Saying hi from Louisiana!
I enjoyed this live.
Hi From New York
I’m glad that they figured out how to get computers to talk to each other.
Hi from NC!
Ethernet is a really great thing
Hi, i’m excited for todays episode!!
It’s incredible how Ron Crane got into M.I.T College and Stanford University! It’s also very interesting how he joined the Xerox company in 1974!
the board was really intresting to me. thank you!
i love science
Science live is always interesting to watch.
Science ROCKS!! 🔬🧬
I love science live!
Hi from Mexico!! Love science live Wednesday .
This was so helpful.
Always love these! This video is a great look back at the ingenuity required to make Ethernet the standard it is today. The collision problem was a real hurdle, and it’s amazing to see how it was solved!
Acellus and Science Live is great!
This is such a cool topic! How did the engineers at Xerox decide between the 4 twisted cables and the star set-up after moving on from the straight line?
Im really loving this
The Ethernet is so complicated.
Love the live!
never heard about ethernet before, learning about it was so cool
It would have been really fun and interesting to be one of the people who would hand soder the circuit boards together!
early Ethernet had so many accidents before they were fixed.Amazing!
Hello from Florida! 🙂
fun live
I never really thought about the ethernet being like a rats nest, but it kind of makes sense in a way oddly enough. The Ethernet is pretty complex when debugging it or checking for anything in general. Same with ethernet cords, most of the time when you see the cords they are almost always jumbled up in other cords.
Hello from Florida
Hi from Alabama
ethernet went through a lot before it was fixed
How long does it take to fix an Ethernet collisions?
It was the miss click, cool I can’t believe so many people want to steal your ideas! You’re cool
Hello from texas
hi from sc
Loved this!!!!
Hello from GA
That’s such a cool way we come up with conclusions
hi from ny!
hey everyone coming from Illinois I enjoy the science videos
Hiiiii from south Carolina
Cool info about Ethernet.
i enjoyed this science live a lot, thank youu!
wow how cool!!
Ethernet is so helpful!
Coming from Maine!
Hi, from Mississippi!
Hello from texas.