Home > Science Fact Finder > Mathematics, Numbers, and Computers - How Is A Hard Disk Different From A Floppy Disk?

Mathematics, Numbers, and Computers - How Is A Hard Disk Different From A Floppy Disk?

How is a hard disk different from a floppy disk?

Both hard disks and floppy disks contain a magnetic surface on which data (information) can be recorded, accessed, and erased. A read/write unit (a tiny magnet that reads from a disk by detecting the direction of a magnetic marking and writes on a disk by creating a magnetic spot with a unique pattern), suspended over a spinning disk, is directed by the central processing unit (CPU—the logic center or "brain" of the computer) to the exact location where the requested data is stored, or is to be recorded.

A hard disk is made of rigid aluminum and coated with iron oxide. It has much greater storage capacity than several floppy disks combined. While most hard disks used in microcomputers (personal computers) are "fixed," or built into the computer, some are removable.

A floppy disk, also called a diskette, is made of plastic film covered with a...

[The entire page is 440 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass