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.
About DrB
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About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »
We watched the Artemis 2 launch and return. It was really exciting.
Can’t wait for the next one !! Love science Live
science live is great!
Thank you Dr. Billings for all you’ve done for everyone. If it were not for people like you, your mentor, Bill Lear, and Ron Crane as well as others, working so hard to develop things that help us I don’t know where we would be. As far as r-51 goes……we all need some adventures outside of our norm to help us get motivated to do BIG things. I love Science Live.
im so excited for the new episode tonight!
I like to invent things!
Thank you, can’t wait for the next episode
So cool!! I love these videos
I liked the inventors part. Inventing would be fun
Learning about the Ethernet was truly fascinating. It has really developed and helped to shape our world today. I am glad it was able to advance through numerous theories and hypotheses!
It’s a really amazing and charitable act to try and make Acellus Academy free to make it accessible to more people.
Ethernet is such a neat invention.
Almost done with 5th grade. Excited for 6th!
I love that students inventions have the possibility of being invested in!
we followed the Artemis crew. it absolutely amazing
ethernet looks complicated
your bathroom sound cool. I want an automated house as well
i want to see R51…
Great episode. Can’t wait for the next one!
That is wonderful you are going to review the inventions and potentially invest in them. Thank you for helping shape the future!
I love science live it’s so interesting to learn about the technology around the world!!
Me too I also like how funny R-51😂
Wow, that was a good one. I really like that you should do more.
i’m very interested in the new scholarship program!!
i love that
How does the scholarship work?
Wow, how cool!
Thank you Dr. Billings!
An interesting science live, wonder what the next one will be about
I really liked that you guys covered the return of artimas 2
Before this video I had never heard of the ethernet.
I liked this Science Live
i love science fairs! they’re so cool
You are the best teacher
love this
Thank you for these science videos. They are amazing, and I learn new things every single time. I’m looking forward to the next one.
And another wonderful Science Live! Can’t wait to tune in for the next!
The Collision Problem it’s very interesting, but I plan to look at it way more often
Very informative. Thank you
I love science live
These videos are always so interesting to watch!
Off topic, but I love that dinosaur game and I was just playing it last night!!
Science is my favorite.
Same!
The Ethernet sound cool cause multiple computers can hook up to one printer.
ethernet is the
best
yes very helpful for my studies like i need this to do better
I liked how Funny R-51 is, is there a video that I can watch about Isaac Newton and what he did?
I really enjoy the science live videos. Keep them coming! My little sister even watches them. She’s 3 so she talks a lot and asks a lot of questions.
Wow another wonderful science live!!!! Can’t wait for next week!!!!!
Definitely interested in the new scholarship program!
I use this!
I am so excited to see how the Artemis 2 Space mission Goes.🚀🚀🚀
yesssssssssssssssssss
I love the whole thing about Ethernet I actually use one for my computer! Cant wait for the next one.
Great Video! The science behind Ethernet, is so interesting. I never knew it worked like that.
I love this video I can’t wait for the next one
Learning about the Ethernet was truly fascinating. It has really developed and helped to shape our world today. I am glad it was able to advance through numerous theories and hypotheses!
I think this was a very neat episode
I wish you could solve traffic on the highway like Ethernet collisions.
Is an ethernet cable better that wifi
Keeping my eye out for r51 xD
I’m not sure if I like that kind of technology, sorry. 🙁
What else can we learn about Ethernet?
Very amazing video, I use Ethernet for my computer everyday, it’s cool to learn about it
WOW! Can not wait to hear more on wednesday. So glad collisions aren’t a thing anymore!
Great video about the progression of ethernet
Great video about the progression of ethernet from a 2 mb network into what it is today.
Favorite video so far!
Nice!
It was interesting to learn how Dr. Roger Billings solved the ‘collision’ problem in networking. The idea of replacing a simple hub with a ‘concentrator’ (or buffered repeater) that saves packets in a FIFO memory really explains how networks became so much more efficient.
So interesting!
It’s really interesting on the history of Ethernet, I’d Love to hear more!
Love learning things from these video’s i tell my parents something new every day and i tell them i learned it from science live.
i love how you are always talking about hydrogen.Because I love hydrogen, and that was really cool about Ron Crane
I have the perfect science fair idea. Ethernet is so cool.
R51 is soo funny, can’t wait for the next science live!!! Also loved learning about the Ethernet cables
Science live is the highlight of my week!
I learn something knew every time I watch science live!
I LOVE ACELLUS!!!!
Science fairs are always so exciting even just the daily lookout for new problems can be so much fun! Thanks science live!
This weeks Science live, was so interesting, the Ethernet was really cool to learn about! Howdy from Montana 🤠
I really enjoy these videos and all the theories in the comments.
A good live like always!
Wow, very interesting Science Live this week!
Happy Monday!!!
Thank you, I’ve learn a lot of new words today with technology and such an amazing live science video for this week! There is always more to discover each week.
The internet is great I like how you can do many stuff on it.
This weeks episode was so interesting, Thank you!
I love Science Live because it’s so much fun. My favorite part is when one of the guys was playing a dinosaur game.
cool episode. Dr billings!
Dr. Billings has done so much that I didn’t know about. Thanks!!
lives keep getting better and better, i love the lives
Another amazing Science Live!
how much more can we do now to improve the ethernet? love how Mr.Billings will invest in an idea he loves!
R-51 learning new sports is hilarious and awesome!
I love that r51 is exploring new sports now he should learn what lacrosse is!!!🤣🤣🤣
We’ve watched some footage of the Artemis 2 journey and they wrung out a wet cloth and the water just clung to it since there was no gravity.
It’s interesting to think about how much slower networks would be without this solution.
That was my favorite video so far
It’s cool how all of this works. Thanks Dr. Billing.
I saw him in the baseball field
They should do a Science Live video about caves,
Oooh! That would be a cool one!
Its crazy to thing your biggest challenges can turn into your greatest accomplishments.
Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.
How long did it take to make the one billion bits per second internet?
Thank you all for what ya’ll teach and do for us every Wednesday I learn so much more and i love it!!
I had no knowledge of what an Ethernet was until this Science Live!
I didn’t know that this is how two computers comunicate, with the ethernet packet
I wonder why Dr. Billings let his friend take credit for his solution to get rid of collisions within Ethernet. I also use Ethernet in my PC and it has worked wonders!
I liked learning about ethernet and how it came to be what it is now! cant wait for next week.
I love science livee!! 😀
I enjoyed learning about the Ethernet and how it lead to the creation of the internet.
great video. really enjoyed it
This was so cool to watch.
I love ethernet why, is it so much faster than wifi?
We watched take off and the splashdown!!! Was so nail-biting!!
Acellus did a great job with this weeks video!
Thank you for taking the time to share information with us during your weekly science lives.
Artemis pictures have been awesome. Isn’t Nasa planning on building a base on the moon?
sorry for a late response, but awesome live!
And another amazing live this week.
Great Science Live this week, thank you!
Lovely science Live!!
i find science live so fasctinating .
This was a fun watch!
i love science live!
The collision problem was interesting.
Very cool lesson, thx
I don’t get how you guys manage to get me so impressed after every science live I watch, I mean they just keep getting better!
the ethernet is really cool
How are science live topics chosen?
Great science live this week thank you!
Glaad we have ethernet
best class of the year by far
Hello from Georgia !
This was really interesting! Im excited for the next one!
i love science live
I loved this weeks episode!
See you next Wednesday
I’ve just Finished a lesson regarding hypothesis, theories, and more. It is nice to have a familiarity with the science live and making connections towards what I have already learned.
One thing I like in today’s video was learning internet and how it works. I also learned that Ron Crane was working to make the internet better for people to be able to use.
That’s cool how such a simple Idea made such a differnce!
I love this!
amazing live this week can’t wait for more!!!
It was cool of how the ethernet now works!!
The history of the internet is very interesting, thank you
I love these science lives
I find it so fascinating of how the signals between the FIFO and the chip works also the history of it along with how Ethernet became mostly of how it is today!
I always end up liking these more than I expect.
It’s always so fun to learn new things every week!
Your so smart I love it!!
I enjoyed learning about the ethernet
It is so exciting to know that in 2 years a spaceship wil land land on the moon after 54 years
This was fascinating
why does Dr. John have a band-Aid
i love learning!
Very interesting session! Thanks Dr.B for your inspiration
This was fun to watch.
So fun thank you
Hi it’s my first time watching this
Science live was so cool this week!
Loved this week’s live’
Loved this!! Thanks for these!
Learning about ethernet was so interesting! Thank you guys for putting your time into these videos!!
So cool and interesting i love this science ♥️
definitely the best science life yet
This is very educational and helpful and fun to watch.
It’s interesting how Ethernet has improved over time. Even though it’s around 50 years old, it’s still considered the gold standard in the present day and is still used all around the world.
It’s really cool to hear how much Billings has worked on for the internet.
Love these science lives!
Great lecture, very helpful.
Loved the science live this week!
Absolutely loving these lives. Keep it up.
i can’t wait to find out
Didn’t know that, wow!
good science live.
very cool I want learn more
I learned about the ethernet very interesting. I love the science live videos. Thank you
science live rocks…
Thank you for information about Ethernet!
I love all these videos!! Awesome!
Im loving the science videos
Thank you for thinking about families who could use help with tuition.
I really enjoyed learning about how you solved the collision problem – very inspiring!
I did not know that about the ethernet. Thank you for showing me. Greetings from Maura thanks
The inner workings of ethernet are so cool!
How long did it take to go to the moon for the first time?
this is super amazing!!!
another great science live
every week is always interesting. love watching!!!
This was very interesting!
nice science live videos this week and last week me and my class watched science live every Wednesday thank you for posting the science live videos
Science live is amazing!
say that there were two computers wanted to talk to each other its called a packet
amazing live guys 👍👍👍👍👍
That is amazing love the science live!!!
I learn so much watching these videos!
Science live never fails to make me laugh!
oh, good science live, ETHERNET!
Acellus has taught me so much
I’m so glad I am part of the Acellus Academy! I hope my school district will look into it because I love it and have friends that I know would love it! Such a great school to be a part of! Thanks Dr. Billings!
Who doesn’t love science live!?!?🫶
I think the national cyberschool option is a great idea.
hi! watching from florida!!!
when you talked about hypothesis i actually understood it unlike usual.
Nice science live this week, thanks!
Great science live this week, thanks!
I liked learning about the ethernet. I didn’t really know much about it but I liked how it was explained to help me learn about it!
i never new that the internet work like that it like sending mail but you don’t have to wait to see the mail.
I’m so glad these stay up. I can go back and rewatch them and show them to my cousin when we have a sleepover.
Amazing video as always!
Hi from oklahoma science live was cool.
Hello from CA!
I enjoy watching the science live! I learned more about the ethernet. Thank you!
I like the poem Dr. Billings said that his mom taught him.
Incredible science live, thank you for making these.
I loved learning about the Ethernet!
The part I love about this live is the collision problem and how you solved it and hypothesis and theories!!
I enjoyed science live
great episode this week
I’m so excited for the science fair; It’s going to be amazing
haw do you make a coaxial cable?
Science live this week was great. Hope to see everyone next week!^^