What is latency?

Latency is how long it takes for something to go from one place to another, like when you send a message and wait for a reply.

Imagine you're playing with your best friend across the street. You shout, "Hey, do you want to play tag?" They hear you and say, "Yes!" But if they’re really far away, like on the other side of town, it takes longer for them to answer. That extra time between when you ask and when you get a reply is latency.

Think about when you're watching a video online. Sometimes the video starts playing right away, but sometimes you have to wait a few seconds before it begins, that waiting part is latency. It's like the video has to travel all the way from the computer on the other side of the world to your screen.

If your friend is just across the street, they can reply almost instantly, low latency. But if they're far away and have to shout through a loud crowd, it takes longer, high latency.

So, latency is like the time it takes for something to travel from one place to another, whether it's a message, a video, or even your favorite game! Latency is how long it takes for something to go from one place to another, like when you send a message and wait for a reply.

Imagine you're playing with your best friend across the street. You shout, "Hey, do you want to play tag?" They hear you and say, "Yes!" But if they’re really far away, like on the other side of town, it takes longer for them to answer. That extra time between when you ask and when you get a reply is latency.

Think about when you're watching a video online. Sometimes the video starts playing right away, but sometimes you have to wait a few seconds before it begins, that waiting part is latency. It's like the video has to travel all the way from the computer on the other side of the world to your screen.

If your friend is just across the street, they can reply almost instantly, low latency. But if they're far away and have to shout through a loud crowd, it takes longer, high latency.

So, latency is like the time it takes for something to travel from one place to another, whether it's a message, a video, or even your favorite game!