Which of the following is false with respect to TCP?

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a fundamental protocol within the Internet protocol suite, enabling reliable communication between devices over a network. When considering statements about TCP, determining which is false involves understanding key aspects of how TCP works. Here are various claims about TCP, with the false statement highlighted:

1. TCP guarantees delivery of data packets in the exact order they were sent. This is true. TCP ensures that data transmitted over the network arrives at the destination in the same order it was sent, providing reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery.

2. TCP is connectionless and does not require a handshake to establish a connection before data transmission begins. This statement is false. TCP is a connection-oriented protocol, necessitating a three-way handshake to establish a connection before any data transmission occurs. This handshake process is critical for setting up the parameters of the data transmission, such as sequence numbers and acknowledgment flags.

3. TCP uses error checking and acknowledgment mechanisms to ensure reliable data transmission. This is true. TCP includes features for error detection through the use of checksums and for ensuring data reliability via mechanisms for acknowledgments and retransmissions.

4. TCP headers include a sequence number field to help in assembling the data packets in the correct order at the receiver’s end. This is true. The sequence number in the TCP header is crucial for maintaining the order of data packets since it allows the receiver to reassemble the segments in the exact order they were transmitted, despite the