magnetic stripe
[mag¦ned·ik ′strīp] (computer science)
A small length of magnetic tape on a card or badge, containing data that is machine-readable.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
magnetic stripe
(storage)A black stripe, printed on the back of a credit card
or similar, that stores a machine-readable copy of the
information on the card. The stripe contains iron particles
about 500 nanometers long that can be magnetised like
magnetic tape. The data can be read by swiping the card
through a card reader.
This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)
magnetic stripe
A small length of magnetic tape adhered to credit cards, badges, permits, passes and tokens. The tape is read by magnetic stripe readers incorporated into ATMs, identification readers and payment terminals. Due to the daily, heavy wear these cards receive, the digital recording on the stripe is in a very low-density format and often duplicated several times in case part of the stripe becomes damaged. See EMV and smart card. |
| Magnetic Stripes |
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| The uses of magnetic stripes are a testimony to their durability. Adhered to credit cards and a variety of other plastic or paper cards, the low-density tape recording is designed to withstand abrasion from daily use. |
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| Old and New Together |
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| Cards with magnetic stripes have been around since the late 1960s, and they co-exist with chip cards and wireless payment methods today. See smart card and NFC. |
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