disk
A direct access storage device. See floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic disk, optical disc, CD-ROM and DVD.
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| Disk and Memory Work Together |
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| On the disk, data are stored in sectors, which hold a chunk of data (typically 512 bytes) and are the smallest unit that can be read or written. Memory is broken up into squares like a checkerboard, each square holding one byte. The contents of any single byte or group of bytes can be calculated, compared and copied independently. That is how fields are put together to form records and broken apart when read back in. |
disk [disk]
Also spelled disc.
(astronomy)
A relatively thin layer of material distributed in the central plane of a spiral galaxy, in contrast to the nucleus or halo.
(biology)
Any of various rounded and flattened animal and plant structures.
(computer science)
A rotating circular plate having a magnetizable surface on which information may be stored as a pattern of polarized spots on concentric recording tracks. Also known as magnetic disk.
(engineering acoustics)
(mathematics)
The region in the plane consisting of all points with norm less than 1 (sometimes less than or equal to 1).
| (storage) | disk - 1. magnetic disk. 2. compact disc. 3. optical disk. Note: the american spelling, "disk", is normal for most computer disks whereas "compact disc", having come to computers via the audio world, is correctly spelled with a "c", indeed, this spelling is part of the CD standard. |
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