The Floppy Disk

In 1967 David Nobel of IBM invented the floppy disk for use in IBM 370 mainframes, it was 8”, held 80kb and was read only. In 1973 a new 256kb floppy was introduced, this allowed reading and writing. Later on the 8inch floppy could hold 800kb but a smaller replacement was needed. In 1976 a 5 ¼ inch floppy capable of storing 110kb was developed, this drive was very successful and was later capable of storing 360kb. The 5 ¼ inch floppy was the primary storage media up until about 1985 when the 3 ½ inch format was developed. As with all storage technology its capacity increased over time, initially 360kb to 720 then to 1.44mb and even 2.88mb. The 1.44mb 3 ½ inch floppy disk is still popular today dues to its low cost, ease of use and availability; however its relatively low capacity is catching up with it. Floppy disks work in the same way as the other magnetic storage devices.

        5 1/4 inch floppy disk                                        3 1/2 inch floppy disk                              The parts of a 5 1/4 inch floppy disk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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