What is defined as a unit of data transmitted over a network?

A packet is defined as a unit of data transmitted over a network. In networking, packets are formatted units that consist of both the data being sent and the necessary headers that contain addressing information, control information, and other metadata required for routing the data to its destination.

Packets are crucial for the functioning of protocols in the Internet Protocol Suite (such as TCP/IP), allowing data to be broken down into manageable pieces for transmission over networks. This segmentation is particularly important for larger sets of data that need to traverse various networks with differing capacities and conditions.

Understanding packets is essential for grasping how data travels across the internet, as they enable efficient delivery and error-checking mechanisms. Each packet sequence is reassembled at the destination to reconstruct the original data, ensuring the integrity of the information sent.