Special Features:

Compact; read only

Properties:

An electromechanical item which accepts and systematically retains digital input data in such a manner as to facilitate the rapid recovery of stored information. The item may or may not consist of disk(s) some of which are removable, hard, removable disk packs, fixed disks, or removable flexible, each surface coated with a material susceptible to spot magnetization, integral writing, a drive motor and its mechanical linkage, and data translating heads for impressing on or removing from the disk surface data in digital form. the item is a component of an electronic computer. see also, magnetic drum, data storage; core memory unit.