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Bandwidth, Latency, and Throughput

Run the Networking MicroSim Fullscreen

About This MicroSim

A pipe-and-packets metaphor for the three networking quantities students confuse the most. The width of the pipe is bandwidth. The length is latency. The packets-arrived-per-second counter is throughput — the only quantity users actually feel.

Slide the controls and watch throughput change. Pick a preset (LAN → Trans-Pacific → Satellite) to see why "more bandwidth" stops helping past a certain latency. Flip the TCP collapse toggle to see how throughput tanks on long, lossy paths even when bandwidth is high.

Embedding This MicroSim

<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/information-systems/sims/bandwidth-latency-throughput/main.html"
        height="602px" width="100%" scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives

By the end of this activity, students will be able to:

  1. Define bandwidth, latency, and throughput in plain English
  2. Predict why a high-bandwidth long-latency link delivers less throughput than its bandwidth would suggest
  3. Identify the conditions under which adding bandwidth helps and the conditions under which it does not
  4. Match real-world links (LAN, cloud, coast-to-coast, trans-Pacific, satellite) to their characteristic numbers

Suggested Activities

  1. Three Definitions (5 min) — Have students define each term in their own words before touching the sliders
  2. Preset Walk (10 min) — Run all five presets; record the resulting throughput
  3. Adding Bandwidth (10 min) — On the satellite preset, double the bandwidth. Does throughput double? Why not?

References

  • Tanenbaum, A. (2011). Computer Networks, 5th ed.
  • Mathis, M. et al. (1997). The macroscopic behavior of the TCP congestion avoidance algorithm.