Why Are Floppy Disks Called "Disks" If They Are Rectangular?

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You may notice that a floppy "disk" doesn't actually look like a disk, it's a rectangular object made out of plastic, so why is it called a floppy "disk"?

That's because the actual disk is inside of this rectangle. There's a metal part at the top that slides to reveal the disk, and the metal circle at the center can be used to rotate the disk.

A black plastic rectangle with a rectangular metal part at the top and a metal circle at the center.
A floppy disk. Photo: Ivan Radic at Flickr. License: CC BY 2.0.

In other words, when the floppy disk is place into a floppy disk drive, the drive slides the top part to be able to read the disk, and spins the center part to be able to view different sections of the disk.

For reference, here's a video that shows someone removing the disk from a diskette:

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Written by Noel Santos.

About the Author

I'm a self-taught Brazilian programmer graduated in IT from a FATEC. In a world of increasingly complex and essential computers, I decided to use my technical expertise in hardware, desktop applications, and web technologies to create an informative resource to make PC's easier to understand.

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