Who is widely recognised as the inventor of the World Wide Web (WWW), the system of interlinked hypertext documents that underpins modern internet browsing?

Introduction / Context:
The World Wide Web has transformed how people access information, communicate, and do business. It is therefore natural that competitive exams often ask about the person who invented this technology. Understanding who created the Web also reveals the difference between the internet as a global network of computers and the Web as a service running on top of that network.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks for the inventor of the World Wide Web (WWW).
• The options include Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Maxwell, Martin Cooper, and S A Forbes.
• We assume a basic understanding that the Web and the internet are related but distinct concepts.

Concept / Approach:
The World Wide Web was created at CERN as a way to allow scientists to easily share documents using hypertext. Sir Tim Berners-Lee is the computer scientist credited with proposing and implementing this system. He developed key technologies like HTTP, HTML, and the first web browser. Martin Cooper, by contrast, is associated with the development of the mobile phone. Maxwell is linked to electromagnetic theory, and S A Forbes is not associated with the invention of the Web.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify that the question is specifically about the ‘‘World Wide Web’’ and not about the internet in general. Step 2: Recall that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, working at CERN in Switzerland, proposed the idea of a hypertext-based information system in 1989. Step 3: Remember that he implemented HTTP, HTML, and the first browser, thus effectively inventing the Web. Step 4: Match this knowledge with the options and select ‘‘Sir Tim Berners-Lee’’. Step 5: Eliminate other options which relate to different scientific or technological contributions.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you know that Martin Cooper is associated with the first handheld mobile phone and James Clerk Maxwell with electromagnetic theory, you can safely reject those names for this question. The name of Sir Tim Berners-Lee almost always appears alongside any explanation of how the Web began. This double-check confirms that he is the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Maxwell: Known for Maxwell's equations in electromagnetism, not for inventing the Web.
Martin Cooper: Pioneer in mobile telephony, not the creator of the World Wide Web.
S A Forbes: Not credited in standard references as the inventor of the Web.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the internet with the Web. The internet is the physical and logical network connecting computers worldwide, whereas the World Wide Web is a service that uses that network to serve hypertext documents. The Web is younger than the internet, and its inventor is specifically Sir Tim Berners-Lee, not the various engineers who worked on networking protocols decades earlier.

Final Answer:
The World Wide Web was invented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.