History of Computers - Magnetic tape
Magnetic tape was invented in 1928 by Fritz Pfleumer, who based the tape after magnetic wire. It is commonly used as a medium for storing information. Magnetic tape would eventually be replaced by more advanced mediums such as the CD.
Contents
Overview
Magnetic tape was not used to store data until 1951 with the invention of the UNIVAC I. The tape was half inch nickle-plated bronze and yielded a data rate of 12,800 characters per second[1]. The tape is almost always contained by a cartridge or reel so that it can easily be read by a computer. For the tape that's on a reel, it must be put onto a tape drive. The tape drive spins the two reels in an uneven manner so as to correctly read the data. A cassette is its own mini tape drive, so it can simple be put into a computer without much hassle. In 1956, History of Computers - IBM announced the first History of Computers - External Hard Drive, which came with the ability to randomly access data from anywhere on the drive, thus making it a logical decision to replace the use of tape[2].
Significance
Magnetic tape, although outdated, is still used today to store archives of data. It also has led to more advanced storage medium, such as floppy discs and CDs. It has helped the music and video industry's method of distributing media with cassettes and VHS respectively.
References
- ↑ http://www.pine1nc.com/PinetreeMagneticTapeHistory.php
- ↑ http://www.ironmountain.com/resources/general-articles/t/the-history-of-magnetic-tape-and-computing-a-65-year-old-marriage-continues-to-evolve
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_tape
By Ceckman
