Why do I need an address resolution protocol?

I understand the ARP mechanism, but I wonder why we use it even if we have the recipient's IP address? Isn’t it enough to rely on the recipient’s IP address to send packets instead of completing the additional steps of finding your corresponding MAC address?

Thanks.

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The IP address is a Layer 3 address. Layer 3 packets are encapsulated in Layer 2 frames, and Layer 2 also has the addressing (MAC addresses) that must be provided. ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) resolves a layer 3 IP address to a layer 2 MAC address so that a layer-3 packet can be encapsulated in a layer-2 frame, which is then sent through a layer 1 interface.

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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/1607574/


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