Every e-mail has two different components in the address. There is a name like "LAnderson13" and then a place like "elon.edu" separated by "@". The @ symbol explains which machine should receive the message. So, the "elon.edu" part would have a folder specifically for "LAnderson13". This is how the "sender" and "receiver" are identified- that way my internets won't get lost in tubes and sent to somebody else's internet because it's very important that I receive all my internets.
So, for e-mail that is application based rather than web based, the e-mails are sort of downloaded to the computer so that I as a user have all my old e-mails on my computer until I delete them. However, I can only access my e-mail from the computer with the application. In contract, web-based e-mail means I can connect to my e-mail account from any computer with internet, but if I don't have internet... I can't access anything. (The exception to this is that gmail offers Gears for offline access)
So, what happens is my computer would request to access my file in a remote server that contains my messages. There are two options- one allows me to download my messages from the server and once they are safely saved in my e-mail application, they are deleted from the server. Or, I can "have my cake and eat it to" that is I leave a copy of all the messages on the server even after I download a copy so that other users may also download it. Sending e-mails is a little different since I can technically "send" an e-mail and nothing happens until my computer connects to the internet. So, I am on the internet and I receive my e-mails. Then I take my laptop to Auntie Sue's house who has no internet. There I read and respond to all of my e-mails. My sent e-mails are placed in a folder and so basically my job is done BUT nobody will receive my sent e-mails until I go back home and connect to the internet at which point my sent e-mails go out and I receive my new messages. Which is why outlook has the "send/ receive" button- this tells the computer to connect to the internet and essentially synch your mailboxes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webmail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_client
http://communication.howstuffworks.com/email2.htm
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