eli5 , How does a server receive thousands of requests at a time ?

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I always wonder how a server like google server receive thousands of request from people at once! I understand the signals are passed through fibernet cable, but won’t those signals collide ? Or how can some small wire handle soo many requests at once ? iin my mind a wire can only take one request at a time. I know these happens close to light speed, but still! its very hard to understand.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

This is called multiplexing. Basically multiple different signals (eg from different internet users) are combined together and sent down the wire and then separated at the other end. 

Think of it like how multiple TV and radio stations can transmit at the same time, just on different frequencies. Each tv/radio station is a different internet user and the air is the fiber cable. 

As you go from your house to Google’s data center, the equipment gets more and more expensive and high performance – your router at home will be fairly basic, the wire in your street will be probably quite old and thin, then as it goes to you ISP it goes into bigger cables and through much higher performance switches etc. 

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