Inputting / Outputting Information
Magnetic tape– it is one of the principal input/output recording media used with computers and is mainly used for storing intermediate results of computations and for compact storing of large amounts of data, in an ordered sequence. It is much cheaper to store information on tape than in the computer main memory or on a disk memory device, but it takes longer to locate a paritucular data item if it is stored on tape: data must be stored and accessed sequentially.
Magnetic disk– it consists of a series of concentric paths or tracks each capable of storing data in magnetically coded form. It looks like a phonograph record and a series of disks is mounted on a vertical shaft. One or more access arms move into the disk to read or write the data stored on it. Disks may be hard (made out of aluminum) or floppy (made out of plastic). Disks may be permanently attached to the drive unit or they may be made up as removable disk packs. Disks may be made even more efficient by using laser beam to read and write data.
VOCABULARY
Media= pl. of medium (Latin word) = meios
Large amounts= great quantities = grandes quantidades
Cheaper= more inexpensive = mais barato
It takes longer= leva mais tempo
Accessed= reached = alcançados, acessados
Paths or tracks= trilhas
It looks like= parece com, é semelhante a
Shaft= eixo
Drive unit= dispositivo impulsor
Packs= packages = vários discos presos por um eixo
Laser beam= raio laser
