Why Can't You Just Copy a File Forever?

Imagine you're copying a toy from one box to another. Each time, the toy gets a little smaller or a little more broken because of all the moving around. That's like what happens when you copy files many times, they get worse each time because of how the computer stores them.

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Examples

  1. Copying a picture from your phone to your laptop ten times makes it look blurry and pixelated.
  2. Copying the same song over and over on a USB stick makes it sound scratchy or distorted.
  3. Your copied homework file turns into a jumbled mess after you copy it 20 times.

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Categories: Technology · file copying· data corruption· storage technology· digital files· copying limits