In the Domain Name System (DNS), human-readable website names such as \"www.example.com\" are converted into which underlying form so that data can be routed across the Internet?

Introduction / Context:
People prefer to use readable names like www.example.com when visiting websites, but computers and routers on the Internet use numeric addresses to deliver data. The Domain Name System (DNS) provides a mapping between these names and the numeric addresses. This question asks you to identify what human-readable website names are converted into so that data can be routed correctly across networks.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The context is DNS and web addresses.
• Examples of domain names include strings like www.example.com.
• Routers and lower level protocols need numeric information to route packets.
• Options include binary strings, IP addresses and random nicknames.

Concept / Approach:
DNS is often described as the phone book of the Internet. It takes a domain name and resolves it to an IP address. An IP address is a numeric label, such as 192.0.2.1 (IPv4) or 2001:db8::1 (IPv6), that uniquely identifies a host on an IP network. Routers use IP addresses to decide where to forward packets. While IP addresses can be represented internally as binary, DNS specifically maps names to these network level addresses, not to arbitrary binary strings or random nicknames. Therefore, the correct answer is that DNS converts human readable domain names into IP addresses used for routing.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Networking textbooks explain that DNS records (such as A and AAAA records) map hostnames to IP addresses. When you use tools like nslookup or dig, you can see DNS resolving a domain name into its IP address. Packet capture tools show that after DNS resolution, a TCP or UDP connection is initiated directly to an IP address. No step in this process involves mapping to a random alphanumeric string or a purely human friendly nickname. This behaviour is confirmed across all common operating systems and directly supports the answer that DNS converts names to IP addresses.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• A binary string that humans can easily memorise: While IP addresses are represented in binary internally, DNS is defined specifically in terms of mapping to IP addresses, not generic binary strings for memorisation.
• A random alphanumeric nickname for the site: Domain names themselves are the human readable nicknames; DNS resolves them to numeric IP addresses, not to other nicknames.
• A hexadecimal string unrelated to networking: Hexadecimal may be used to represent IPv6 addresses, but the key concept is the IP address, not an unrelated hex string.
• Only a graphical logo for the website: Logos are part of website design and have nothing to do with DNS or routing.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners reverse the mapping and think that DNS converts IP addresses into domain names. While reverse lookups do exist, the standard and more common operation is converting domain names into IP addresses. Others may think of binary or hexadecimal representations and lose sight of the fact that the essential concept is the IP address. To answer questions like this correctly, remember that DNS is the system that turns user friendly domain names into the IP addresses that the network actually uses.

Final Answer:
In DNS, human readable domain names are converted into an IP address used by routers to deliver packets across the Internet.