Backslash facts for kids

The backslash ( \ ) is a special symbol you often see when using computers. It looks like a forward slash (/) but leans the other way. People also call it a reverse slash or backslant. It's not usually found in everyday writing, which makes it perfect for computers to use for specific jobs without getting confused with other text.

What is the Backslash?

The backslash is a glyph, which is a fancy word for a symbol or character. It's mainly used in the world of computers. Because it's not common in regular sentences, computers can use it for special instructions or to organize information.

Where Did the Backslash Come From?

The backslash first appeared on keyboards in the 1930s. It became a standard computer character with the invention of ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) in the 1960s. ASCII is a system that gives every letter, number, and symbol a unique code that computers can understand. The backslash was added to the ASCII set in 1961.

Early computers, like the Teletype machines, used the backslash for different tasks. For example, it was sometimes used to cancel out a previous character or to mark the end of a line of text.

How is the Backslash Used Today?

Today, the backslash has several important jobs in computing. It helps computers understand how to find files, run programs, and display text correctly.

File Paths and Directories

One of the most common places you'll see a backslash is in file paths on Microsoft Windows computers. A file path tells the computer exactly where a file or folder is located.

For example, if you have a picture named "my_photo.jpg" inside a folder called "Pictures" which is inside your "Documents" folder, the path might look like this: `C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Pictures\my_photo.jpg`

• The `C:` part tells the computer which hard drive to look on.
• Each backslash `\` separates the different folders (or directories) in the path.
• This helps the computer navigate through your files and find what you're looking for.

On other operating systems like macOS or Linux, a forward slash `/` is used instead of a backslash for file paths.

Programming Languages

The backslash is also very important in many programming languages. Programmers use it for special commands or to change how certain characters behave.

Escape Characters

In programming, the backslash is often used as an "escape character." This means it tells the computer to treat the next character in a special way.

For example, if you want to print a sentence that includes quotation marks, but the quotation marks are also used to show where your text starts and ends, you might use a backslash: `print("He said, \"Hello!\"")`

• Without the backslash before "Hello!", the computer might think the first quotation mark after "said," is the end of your text.
• The `\"` tells the computer: "This is not the end of the text; it's just a quotation mark I want to show."

Special Characters

The backslash can also be combined with letters to create special characters or commands that are hard to type directly.

Some common examples include:

• `\n`: This means "new line." When the computer sees `\n`, it moves the text to the next line.
• `\t`: This means "tab." It creates a space like pressing the Tab key on your keyboard.

These "escape sequences" help programmers format text and control how their programs work.

Other Uses

The backslash appears in other areas of computing too:

• Regular Expressions: These are patterns used to search for and manipulate text. Backslashes are used to give special meaning to characters or to "escape" them if they are part of the pattern itself.
• Command Line: In some command-line interfaces, a backslash can be used to break a long command into multiple lines, making it easier to read.

The backslash might seem like a small symbol, but it plays a big role in how computers understand and process information every day!

Images for kids

• 

  A Teletype Wheatstone Perforator keyboard from the 1930s, with backslash at the end of the third row.

• 

  Teletype ASR-33 keyboard layout with ASCII character set, prior to June 14, 1966, with backslash on shift+L.

See also

In Spanish: Barra inversa para niños