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

Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology. As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


Read more about DrB » 
About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »

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5,043 Comments

  1. Isaac

    Wow that was really interesting!!!

    Reply
  2. Corben

    The Ethernet is so interesting!

    Reply
  3. Gabrielle

    Many of the inventors are going to come up with revolutionary ideas worth and I’m really excited to see which one Dr. Billings invests in

    Reply
  4. Wesley

    look forward to this all the time! my fav part of a wednesday is this! i learn so much! cant wait to learn more about ethernet.

    Reply
  5. Tessa

    Wednesdays are the highlight of my week because I get to wach the new science lives!!

    Reply
  6. Levi

    I find networking interesting; I’ve wanted to design a system that does it.

    Reply
  7. Cowan

    Best science live so far!

    Reply
  8. Drake

    Wow the modern ethernet is quite fast, thank you for fixing this problem.

    Reply
  9. Jordan

    This is my favorite Science Live so far!

    Reply
  10. Jonah

    Loved this one! Looking forward to next time!

    Reply
  11. Carlee

    Cant wait for another great one!!!

    Reply
  12. Kinley

    That is awesome!!

    Reply
  13. Emilie

    Science live is super cool!

    Reply
  14. Trunx

    r51 always make me laugh

    Reply
  15. Scott

    Ethernet is sooo coool! loved learning about it.

    Reply
  16. Caleb

    Awesome video love this

    Reply
  17. Savanah

    Wow!! So exciting, coming to comment weekly is always a nice highlight of the week!! Amazing stuff.

    Reply
  18. Cassandra

    wow that’s amazing I ever seen it was Soo cool

    Reply
  19. Pablo

    Thats so cool that you will review inventions and maybe invest in them!

    Reply
  20. Tessa

    Learning about the Ethernet was interesting because I actually did not know anything about it. I never knew just how many things Dr. Billings actually helped in.

    Reply
  21. Haylen

    I heard about FIFO being used in restaurants with food.

    Reply
  22. Ashton

    Loved this weeks video!

    Reply
  23. Mya

    loved this live keep it upp!!!! i look forward to these every Wednesday!

    Reply
  24. Makenna

    I loved learning about Ethernet!

    Reply
  25. Pramiere

    this was a amazing live cant wait for more

    Reply
  26. Zyheir

    I loved this so much! Hope to see more

    Reply
  27. James

    THIS IS THE BEST EPISODE EVER!!!!!111111

    Reply
  28. Cesar

    wonderful Science Live. Can’t wait to tune in for the next.

    Reply
  29. Bryan

    I am always amazed by the inventions and learning how much you have to just keep working at something and just not give up to be successful.

    Reply
  30. Athaiah

    That was really cool!

    Reply
  31. Alyssa

    I love live lessons and learning about new and different things every week, the comments always add helpful insight and different perspectives that are interesting to read through.

    Reply
  32. Aubrie

    love watching science live.

    Reply
  33. Ahlani

    I’m so excited to watch next weeks science live.

    Reply
  34. Brynnley

    It was interesting learning how to solve collision network problem.

    Reply
  35. Karega

    Great video! Learning about Ethernet was great learning new things about it! Can’t wait for the next video!!

    Reply
  36. Ivee

    I love Science Live!

    Reply
  37. Jayden

    It’s really interesting on the history of Ethernet

    Reply
  38. Ikraam

    Loved this episode!

    Reply
  39. Elizabeth

    Its always cool learning how scientists work through problems

    Reply
  40. Savana

    the scholarship program seems cool

    Reply
  41. Makayla

    That’s a really good scholarship program!! I’m invested,

    Reply
  42. Bella

    Thank you so much for another good episode of Science Live! I really enjoy watching!

    Reply
  43. Jacob

    i love drb

    Reply
  44. Lillian

    and there’s another amazing science live show, next time in going to try to go when you guys are live!

    Reply
  45. Jackson

    I like how I learn new things watching Science Live.

    Reply
  46. Pailey

    I love these videos!!!!

    Reply
  47. Wyatt

    How do you think the future of networks sharing data will change with the use of AI?

    Reply
  48. Hayden

    Im excited for the new program. How many projects have you invested in. Im so greatful for you and you shaping our generation and teaching them the importance of science

    Reply
  49. Camron

    great vid this week 🙂

    Reply
  50. Trinity

    This is soooo cool l’m so excited to see this 🥳

    Reply
  51. Avery

    wow!!! this was a very good video!

    Reply
  52. Ahlani

    David and Caleb are so funny.

    Reply
  53. Brynley

    The Ethernet is great!

    Reply
  54. Bellagrace

    I watched all of the NASA videos and saw the pictures of the moon! They were really cool!

    Reply
  55. Xander

    I i’m thankful for this information as it helps me grow weekly!

    Reply
  56. Ava

    This is so cool!

    Reply
  57. Lunafreya

    I liked the aliens!

    Reply
  58. Lyla

    In the 1970 scientists made a protocol called Ethernet and this actually allows computers to talk back and forth with each other. In order to that they need to send a packet which includes the computers MAC addresses, their MAC addresses, the kind of data, the actual data and lastly the FCS.

    Reply
  59. Tillie

    I can’t wait until the next video to learn about Ethernet

    Reply
  60. Hailey

    Love the live lesson today!

    Reply
  61. Ahlani

    they are so funny.

    Reply
  62. Skylar

    I loved this live and am excited for the next one

    Reply
  63. Thorin

    The new scholarship program is very interesting.

    Reply
  64. Adeline

    This was so cool!

    Reply
  65. Addison

    I did not know that Alexander Graham Bell invented the twisted pair cabling.

    Reply
  66. Kameron

    Very nice to learn about Ethernet

    Reply
  67. Maddox

    the lives are a great way to learn new stuff!

    Reply
  68. Jaxson

    The Ethernet is very interesting, it’s amazing its impact on the development of our world and communities today.

    Reply
  69. Jayden

    Great science live today!! super interesting!!

    Reply
  70. Charlotte

    Hello! More kids having the ability to homeschool will be amazing!

    Reply
  71. Jeremy

    how did they get a spacecraft on top of a rocket?

    Reply
  72. Bryleigh

    I think that it’s cool you might invest in someones new inventions.

    Reply
  73. Brayden

    Good episode!!!

    Reply
  74. Mason

    Ethernet is very cool

    Reply
  75. Benito

    I will be waiting for the full story so please do not forget.

    Reply
  76. Stetson

    Amazing video can’t wait for next weeks

    Reply
  77. Mundy

    The vampire connector is intriguing, did it puncture the wire of the main cable? Neat video.

    Reply
  78. Macie

    Ethernet is so fascinating!

    Reply
  79. Mercedes

    We should have a science live where R51 hosts the entire episode of Science Live!

    Reply
  80. Katie

    This is wonderful, I absolutely love these lives! Can’t wait for the next one!

    Reply
  81. Mathew

    Learning about the ethernet was so cool!

    Reply
  82. Jaxon

    This was one of my favorite videos.

    Reply
  83. Tobias

    Science live always has such fascinating topics. I can’t wait for next week’s episode.

    Reply
  84. Kasi

    I learned a lot in this video and hope to learn much more in the next post

    Reply
  85. Clayton

    Well it is good that we solved it.

    Reply
  86. Austin

    I thought the video was interesting

    Reply
  87. Luisa

    The future looks bright!

    Reply
  88. Hunter

    The pros and cons of ethernet versus wifi is a great study too

    Reply
  89. Zach

    This is so awesome! I love science!

    Reply
  90. Keegan

    Live science is the best!

    Reply
  91. Izabella

    So interesting! I’m so excited to learn more in the next live!

    Reply
  92. Dylan

    loved this science live

    Reply
  93. Dathan

    Concerning Ethernet cables and computational services, I had recently discovered a way to play certain video games that require an online connection to be able to play with friends, even in places like a flying aircraft, where the internet may not be easily available. This simply requires hosting a private connection and connecting the other devices through cables, where the game can easily run offline.

    Reply
  94. Kodi

    I’d like to see where the internet is in 50years !

    Reply
  95. Nevaeh

    Loved this video!

    Reply
  96. Blake

    Watching from Ohio.

    Reply
  97. Franky

    looking forward to this one

    Reply
  98. Anaya

    another great science live!

    Reply
  99. Hannah

    this was so cool!

    Reply
  100. Oliver

    r51 is so funny.

    Reply
  101. Santiago

    The Widebrand’s Gigabit Breakthrough part was awesome one of the best ones of seen in a while! I would really love to see more of that stuff!

    Reply
  102. Joel

    love the live

    Reply
  103. Aiden

    investing into something further whilst already having far more then invested. wonderful! guess we have to wait and see where this goes no?

    Reply
  104. Dixie

    cant wait for the next one!!

    Reply
  105. John

    I love to see new things

    Reply
  106. Marci

    It’s awesome to learn about Ethernet! My mom’s friend uses Ethernet connections at his job wiring home security systems

    Reply
  107. Presley

    It’s come a long way

    Reply
  108. Jackson

    how to get stuff from the store?

    Reply
  109. Uriah

    Where did they get the name Ethernet?

    Reply
  110. Katelyn

    The new scholarship program is really cool!

    Reply
  111. Natalie

    I’m a little bit late but it was spring break but when I watched this I noticed the scholarship program that is very nice!

    Reply
  112. Madilyne

    this was a good viedeo but it was not my favorite have a great day god bless!.☝️😳

    Reply
  113. Kenner

    I learned how fascinating Ethernet is in this video. I can’t wait for next weeks live.

    Reply
  114. Karla

    It was intersting to learn how you can transfer stuff from one computer to the other, and more detailed on how it would work and go wrong.

    Reply
  115. Abrielle

    It was interesting to learn about the history of Ethernet

    Reply
  116. Daila

    I love learning about this new subject! I’m ready to tune in next week.

    Reply
  117. Shelby

    This was a great video!!

    Reply
  118. Anthony

    Always so interesting

    Reply
  119. Sophia

    The new scholarship program is so interesting!!

    Reply
  120. Piper

    I love science lives! How awesome and generous our school is!

    Reply
  121. Chase

    how do you guys make the cabel and aslo who made it?

    Reply
  122. Olivia

    This Science Live was awesome, thank you!

    Reply
  123. Maverick

    Really loved the pictures from the Artemis 2 launch!

    Reply
  124. Olivia

    LOL Clash of the titans mr B and Ron Cane.

    Reply
  125. Sophia

    I LOVE SCIENCE LIVE!!! : )

    Reply
  126. Trinity

    The Ethernet is such an interesting and awesome topic, I look forward to hearing more problems and solutions bc I like a good puzzle (or something similar) :3

    Reply
  127. Kenley

    It was so cool learning about the history of the Ethernet, it was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  128. Westin

    That’s incredible!

    Reply
  129. Temperance

    Amazing program!

    Reply
  130. Miya

    Amazing way to help shape the future of science!

    Reply
  131. Caroline

    That is wonderful!

    Reply
  132. Joshua

    I love science live!!!

    Reply
  133. Elliot

    I’ll keep my eye out for R51 and try to find him for you!

    Reply
  134. Lucy

    I LOVE ACELLUS!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  135. Taylor

    R-51 is so hilarious I love him!

    Reply
  136. Abilynn

    Cool beans!

    Reply
  137. Martin

    It is so amazing that the ethernet problems were solved so effectively

    Reply
  138. Nicholas

    The ethernet thing was interesting!

    Reply
  139. Aria

    Thanks for teaching about the Ethernet networking technology this week!

    Reply
  140. Samirah

    i love science live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply
  141. Syra

    Loved the video. Thank you.

    Reply
  142. Violett

    He’s at a baseball game! Let’s get him!!!

    Reply
  143. Aaron

    Its cool to learn more about ethernet i used it everyday on my computer

    Reply
  144. Hena

    I love how we solved it. that was great.

    Reply
  145. Madilyn

    my favorite part of the week!

    Reply
  146. Zane

    watching from illinois

    Reply
  147. Olivia

    I love the prodigies

    Reply
  148. Clarissa

    I could never get bored of these science lives!!!

    Reply
  149. Lacie

    Great Live today! I have always been curious about how the ethernet works and what it does but I have never truly had the time to study and research it. Thank you Science live!

    Reply
  150. Amara

    thats super cool

    Reply
  151. Marjorie

    Loved this one!

    Reply
  152. Lydia

    hey from ky!

    Reply
  153. Victoria

    Learning about the Ethernet was really cool

    Reply
  154. Keaton

    This live is my favourite! Learning about Ethernet was so fascinating

    Reply
  155. Amelia

    how you guys solved it is crazy

    Reply
  156. Baylor

    I love these videos!!

    Reply
  157. Nora

    Another great science live this week!

    Reply
  158. Johnna

    I’m interested in the new solarship program!

    Reply
  159. Victoria

    Science live is so cool!

    Reply
  160. Alexis

    Can’t wait for the next live! This one was so interesting!

    Reply
  161. Amelia

    It’s so cool to understand how the internet actually works!

    Reply
  162. Ezekiel

    Ethernet is so cool!

    Reply
  163. Bryce

    Cool learning about Ethernet!

    Reply
  164. Emberly

    R-51 you will be missed this week 🙁

    Reply
  165. Amelia

    Why did r 51 tried to escape from area 51 🤣🤣🤣

    Reply
  166. Madison

    Science Live is always interesting. Very cool to learn something new each week.

    Reply
  167. Lucy

    you explained it very good

    Reply
  168. Raelyn

    It is so cool to learn about collisions and ethernet!

    Reply
  169. Teresa

    Glad the protege’s are back also this live was one of my favorites very knowledegeable.

    Reply
  170. Abigail

    It’s interesting that NASA just launched their Artemis 2 SSS Rocket along with the Orion Spacecraft, which is on top of the Artemis 2 SSS Rocket, which is the beginning of a ten day mission where four astronauts are going to fly all the way out past the moon and back and then safely back to the earth.

    Reply
  171. Kalina

    The new scholarship program sounds amazing!

    Reply
  172. Scarlett

    The rocket science thing is really cool

    Reply
  173. Gracelynne

    The best science live

    Reply
  174. Jasper

    R51 is very funny!

    Reply
  175. Julia

    Another great Science Live. Very interesting.

    Reply

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