1.3.3

How Magnetic Storage Works

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How Magnetic Storage Works

The most common type of magnetic storage is the Hard Disk Drive (HDD).

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Storing a bit

  • The value of each bit of data (0 or 1) is represented as a positively or negatively charged magnetic particle.
  • These particles are part of a magnetic disk called the platter.
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Accessing data

  • Data could be stored anywhere on the disk, and so to read/write data we first need to find the location on the disk.
  • A magnetic read/write head is used to access the data while the platter spins.
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Reliability

  • The HDD has moving parts.
  • Although the HDD is generally reliable, any device with moving parts will be subject to wear-and-tear.
  • HDDs can also be damaged by shocks. They are not robust.

Jump to other topics

1Components of a Computer

2Software & Software Development

3Exchanging Data

4Data Types, Data Structures & Algorithms

5Legal, Moral, Cultural & Ethical Issues

6Elements of Computational Thinking

6.1Thinking Abstractly

6.2Thinking Ahead

6.3Thinking Procedurally

6.4Thinking Logically

6.5Thinking Concurrently

7Problem Solving & Programming

8Algorithms

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