I am trying to reduce the number of requests on my site (to improve page speed). In one file, I have 10 separate php require statements calling 10 different php files. 

My question is, are these 10 require statements considered as 10 separate requests? By replacing the require statements with actual contents from the called php file can I reduce the number of requests?

I would greatly appreciate if someone could please clarify this form. Please note that I am not an experience programmer or web designer. Thanks!