Final answer:
The best analogy for a URL is a street address, as it serves as the specific digital location for a resource on the internet. In contrast to a DOI, which is used for academic sourcing due to its permanence, URLs change but always lead to a specific online location.
Step-by-step explanation:
The best analogy for a URL is a street address. A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) functions as the address for a resource on the internet, similar to how a street address points to a specific location in a physical space. While a list of rules sounds systematic, it is not the best analogy for a URL. Similarly, a brain signifies a complex processing unit, which is unlike a URL's nature. A box could be thought of as a container which does not signify location or address but rather holding or storing something. Therefore, the closest analogy is a street address.
When documenting online sources, a URL takes you directly to the web page or work on a website, which is akin to providing the exact location where something can be found. For academic references, the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is often used instead of a URL, given its permanence even if the web address changes. Both the URL and DOI help in pinpointing the location of the online source. In geography, location is key, and just like we provide a delivery person with our street address, a URL leads someone to the specific location of an online source, thus making it a digital counterpart to a physical street address within the logical system of the internet.