read/write head

Thân thiện

A technician carefully inspects the read/write head inside a hard drive.

Definition

Noun: - A component in a disk drive: A read/write head is a small electromagnetic device used to record (write) data onto a magnetic disk and to retrieve (read) data from it.

Usage

• The read/write head hovers just above the spinning platter of a hard disk drive.
• A malfunctioning read/write head can lead to data loss.
• Modern drives have multiple read/write heads, one for each disk surface.

Advanced Usage

• Head crash: A serious failure that occurs when the read/write head makes physical contact with the disk surface.
  • A head crash destroyed the data on the old hard drive.

Variants and Related Words

• Disk head (n): Another term for a read/write head.
• Drive head (n): Another term for a read/write head.
• Actuator arm (n): The mechanical arm that positions the read/write head over the correct track on the disk.

Synonyms

• Magnetic head: A general term for a device that reads or writes magnetically recorded data.

Related Phrases

• Flying height: The distance between the read/write head and the disk surface.
  • The flying height is measured in nanometers.

Học thuật

Noun

1. (computer science) a tiny electromagnetic coil and metal pole used to write and read magnetic patterns on a disk

Từ đồng nghĩa

• head