Web Science
Web Science[1]
What is the web? How is the web made? This section delves into core components of the world-wide-web. If you are interested in building web applications, please visit that course page.
The big ideas in Web Science[edit]
Web Science[edit]
The world wide web is a complicated system, made of different parts. You will learn how these different parts work.
Creating the web[edit]
- C.1.1 Distinguish between the internet and World Wide Web (web). Level: 2
- C.1.2 Describe how the web is constantly evolving. Level: 2
- C.1.3 Identify the characteristics of the following: HTTP, HTTPS, HTML, URL, XML, XSLT, CSS. Level: 2
- C.1.4 Identify the characteristics of a uniform resource identifier (URI) URL. Level: 2
- C.1.5 Describe the purpose of a URL. Level: 2
- C.1.6 Describe how a domain name server functions. Level: 2
- C.1.7 Identify the characteristics of the internet protocol (IP) transmission control protocol (TCP) file transfer protocol (FTP). Level: 2
- C.1.8 Outline the different components of a web page. Level: 2
- C.1.9 Explain the importance of protocols and standards on the web. Level: 3
- C.1.10 Describe the different types of web page. Level: 2
- C.1.11 Explain the differences between a static web page and a dynamic web page. Level: 3
- C.1.12 Explain the functions of a browser. Level: 3
- C.1.13 Evaluate the use of client-side scripting and server-side scripting in web pages. Level: 3
- C.1.14 Describe how web pages can be connected to underlying data sources. Level: 2
- C.1.15 Describe the function of the common gateway interface (CGI). Level: 2
- C.1.16 Evaluate the structure of different types of web pages. Level: 3
Searching the Web[edit]
- C.2.1 Define the term search engine. Level: 1
- C.2.2 Distinguish between the surface web and the deep web. Level: 2
- C.2.3 Outline the principles of searching algorithms used by search engines. Level: 2
- C.2.4 Describe how a web crawler functions. Level: 2
- C.2.5 Discuss the relationship between data in a meta-tag and how it is accessed by a web crawler. Level: 3
- C.2.6 Discuss the use of parallel web crawling. Level: 3
- C.2.7 Outline the purpose of web-indexing in search engines. Level: 2
- C.2.8 Suggest how web developers can create pages that appear more prominently in search engine results. Level: 3
- C.2.9 Describe the different metrics used by search engines. Level: 2
- C.2.10 Explain why the effectiveness of a search engine is determined by the assumptions made when developing it. Level: 3
- C.2.11 Discuss the use of white hat and black hat search engine optimization. Level: 3
- C.2.12 Outline future challenges to search engines as the web continues to grow. Level: 2
Distributed approaches to the web[edit]
- C.3.1 Define the terms: mobile computing, ubiquitous computing, peer-2-peer network, grid computing. Level: 1
- C.3.2 Compare the major features of: mobile computing ubiquitous computing peer-2-peer network grid computing. Level: 3
- C.3.3 Distinguish between interoperability and open standards. Level: 2
- C.3.4 Describe the range of hardware used by distributed networks. Level: 2
- C.3.5 Explain why distributed systems may act as a catalyst to a greater decentralization of the web. Level: 3
- C.3.6 Distinguish between lossless and lossy compression. Level: 2
- C.3.7 Evaluate the use of decompression software in the transfer of information. Level: 3
The evolving web[edit]
- C.4.1 Discuss how the web has supported new methods of online interaction such as social networking. Level: 3
- C.4.2 Describe how cloud computing is different from a client-server architecture. Level: 2
- C.4.3 Discuss the effects of the use of cloud computing for specified organizations. Level: 3
- C.4.4 Discuss the management of issues such as copyright and intellectual property on the web. Level: 3
- C.4.5 Describe the interrelationship between privacy, identification and authentication. Level: 2
- C.4.6 Describe the role of network architecture, protocols and standards in the future development of the web. Level: 2
- C.4.7 Explain why the web may be creating unregulated monopolies. Level: 3
- C.4.8 Discuss the effects of a decentralized and democratic web. Level: 2
Extended Ideas (HL)[edit]
Analysing the web[edit]
- C.5.1 Describe how the web can be represented as a directed graph. Level: 2
- C.5.2 Outline the difference between the web graph and sub-graphs. Level: 2
- C.5.3 Describe the main features of the web graph such as bowtie structure, strongly connected core (SCC), diameter. Level: 2
- C.5.4 Explain the role of graph theory in determining the connectivity of the web. Level: 3
- C.5.5 Explain that search engines and web crawling use the web graph to access information. Level: 3
- C.5.6 Discuss whether power laws are appropriate to predict the development of the web. Level: 3
The Intelligent Web[edit]
- C.6.1 Define the term semantic web. Level: 1
- C.6.2 Distinguish between the text-web and the multimedia-web. Level: 2
- C.6.3 Describe the aims of the semantic web. Level: 2
- C.6.4 Distinguish between an ontology and folksonomy. Level: 2
- C.6.5 Describe how folksonomies and emergent social structures are changing the web. Level: 2
- C.6.6 Explain why there needs to be a balance between expressivity and usability on the semantic web. Level: 3
- C.6.7 Evaluate methods of searching for information on the web. Level: 3
- C.6.8 Distinguish between ambient intelligence and collective intelligence. Level: 2
- C.6.9 Discuss how ambient intelligence can be used to support people. Level: 3
- C.6.10 Explain how collective intelligence can be applied to complex issues. Level: 3