How randomness creates order from network chaos
Each device attempts to transmit data on a shared network channel. When two or more devices transmit simultaneously, their signals collide and both fail.
After a collision, each device waits for a random period before trying again. The wait time is chosen from an exponentially increasing range:
First collision: 0-1 time units
Second collision: 0-2 time units
Third collision: 0-4 time units
Fourth collision: 0-8 time units
Because the wait times are chosen randomly from increasingly large ranges, the probability of repeated collisions drops dramatically. This simple mechanism allows multiple devices to share a single channel without any central coordination.