What is the difference between Disk and floppy disk?
Disk:
In a general sense, "disk" refers to any flat, circular storage medium that stores data magnetically or optically. This includes various types of storage devices.
Disks can be made from various materials and come in different sizes, with varying capacities. Common examples include hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), optical discs (such as CDs and DVDs), and even floppy disks.
Disks are typically used for long-term data storage and retrieval in computers and other electronic devices.
Floppy Disk (or Floppy Diskette):
A floppy disk, also known as a floppy diskette or simply a "floppy," specifically refers to a type of magnetic storage disk that was widely used in the past, primarily in the late 20th century.
Floppy disks are typically 3.5 inches or 5.25 inches in size and consist of a thin, flexible plastic disk with a magnetic coating enclosed in a protective shell.
Floppy disks were used for storing relatively small amounts of data, usually ranging from 1.44 MB for 3.5-inch floppies to earlier versions that stored even less data.
They were commonly used to distribute software, save documents, and transfer small files between computers before more modern storage solutions like USB flash drives and optical discs became prevalent.
In summary, a "disk" is a general term that encompasses various types of data storage media, while a "floppy disk" specifically refers to a now-obsolete type of magnetic storage disk that was common in the past. Floppy disks have largely been replaced by more modern and higher-capacity storage solutions, and they are no longer commonly used in modern computing.