Floppy Disk

A data storage medium that has been widely used in personal computer systems. “Floppy’s” get their name because the disk itself is not generally rigid, which at the time of their development was a distinction from other storage mediums commonly used (even disk based ones). Often times the disk, which is made of Mylar, is encased in a plastic envelope or case for protection, but with a way to allow access to a drive’s read/write heads when in use. This case may often be rigid, but so long as the disk inside isn’t it qualifies as a floppy disk. While convenient and inexpensive, floppies have a limited storage capacity and are slow to read and write data. In recent years they have begun to be phased out in favor of inexpensive hard drives or other media formats such as USB-based flash RAM, etc.