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How can a browser ask whether a page has changed?

A browser may already have a stored copy of something you want to open. Instead of downloading it again immediately, it can ask the server whether that copy is still valid. An HTTP response saying “304 Not Modified” lets it reuse the stored content, when the resource’s caching rules allow this.

4–5 min

Questions you could explore

  • How does a version identifier help the server answer?
  • Why is a stored copy not always a usable copy?

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Computers and AI

Why can a damaged QR code still work?

A scratch or stain does not always stop a QR code from being read. Its stored information includes redundancy, but that does not mean any part of the image can be covered without consequence.

3–5 min
Computers and AI

How does a website name become an internet address?

You remember a website by its name, while the network needs an address for the connection. DNS supplies that translation, sometimes from a saved answer and sometimes by asking other servers.

4–5 min
Computers and AI

Same emoji, different picture

The same emoji can arrive with a different expression or style from the one you saw when sending it. Unicode identifies characters and sequences, while software platforms choose artwork and decide what their versions support.

2–3 min
How can a browser ask whether a page has changed? | Speech Topic | speaking.app