A neighbor is upset. He drew a map for an hour, and then the tablet battery ran out. When it restarted, the map was gone. "It vanished!" Rocket says.
Raven asks gently, "What do you notice about when the map disappeared? Was it ever saved?"
Nova dims her lights. "Would you like a hint? Memory forgets when the power goes. Storage remembers. Saving moves work from one to the other."
A file is a named bundle of information saved on storage. A story, a drawing, a photo and a song are each a file.
Every file has a name. Many file names end with a short tag that shows the file type.
The tag tells the operating system which app can open the file.
| File name | Type tag | What is inside | Opens with |
|---|---|---|---|
| map.png | .png | A picture | A drawing or photo app |
| story.txt | .txt | Plain words | A writing app |
| song.mp3 | .mp3 | Sound | A music player |
| trip.mp4 | .mp4 | Video | A video player |
A folder is a named place that holds files and other folders. Folders keep files tidy.
A folder named Maps might hold map1.png and map2.png. A folder named School might hold more folders inside it.
While you work, your drawing lives in memory. Memory is fast, but it forgets when the power goes.
Saving copies your work from memory to storage as a file. Storage remembers with no power.
The neighbor never saved his map. When the battery ran out, memory forgot, and the map was lost.
Many apps save on their own every few seconds. Some do not. Look for a save choice, and use it often.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Work in memory is lost when the power goes off. | ? |
| A file on storage is lost when the power goes off. | ? |
| A folder can hold other folders. | ? |
| The type tag tells which app can open a file. | ? |
You know where your work really lives now. Tomorrow you will follow one drawing through hardware, software and storage.