Eric Mack On-Line

We all know what radio buttons are -- software buttons that allow you to make only one selection. But why do they call them by that name and how do you explain the answer to a kid who was born long after those radios - the ones with the mechanical push-buttons - disappeared?



I faced this challenge, this evening, as I taught my children how to install Windows XP onto their computers. (Part of our homeschool computer class)

My answer: a radio button is a round button you can click on to select one of several choices in a list. You can only select one radio button at a time. When you select another button, the original button is deselected - it "pops up," just like the mechanical car radios. (Unless, of course, you were like me as a kid: I tried to see how many buttons you could push down at the same time.)

Google, provides a technical definition here.

However, Jake Howlett, has a much better explanation.