acoustic storage
Definition
Noun: 1. A computer storage device that uses acoustic delay lines: Acoustic storage is a type of early computer memory technology. It stores data as sound waves traveling through a medium, such as mercury or a solid rod. The data is represented by a sequence of pulses, and the time it takes for the sound to travel creates a delay, allowing the pulses to be recirculated and read as stored information.
Usage
- As a subject:
- As an object:
- With modifiers:
Examples
Advanced Usage
- Technical Context: In historical computing literature, "acoustic storage" specifically refers to the implementation of a delay line memory system using the physical principle of acoustic wave propagation.
- Conceptual Use: The term can be used metaphorically to describe any system where information is temporarily held in a "pipeline" with inherent latency, though this is rare.
Variants and Related Words
- Acoustic delay line: The physical component (e.g., a tube of mercury) that creates the storage effect. This is the core technology behind acoustic storage.
- Delay line memory: A broader category of memory that includes acoustic storage as one type.
- Ultrasonic memory: A synonym emphasizing that the sound waves used are often at ultrasonic frequencies.
Synonyms
- Delay line storage
- Ultrasonic storage (when specifying the wave frequency)
Related Concepts (Not Synonyms)
- Magnetic core memory: The successor technology that largely replaced acoustic and other delay line memories.
- Volatile memory: Acoustic storage is a type of volatile memory, as data is lost when power is removed and the recirculating pulses stop.
- Sequential-access memory: Describes the access method; data in an acoustic delay line is accessed in the order it was stored, as one waits for the specific pulse to arrive.
Noun
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a storage device consisting of acoustic delay lines
