Types of storage

Question 1

Name three types of secondary storage.

Answer 1

• Magnetic
• Optical
• Solid state

Question 2

How do magnetic devices such as hard disk drives work?

Answer 2

They use magnetic fields. A magnetised section represents the binary number 1 and a demagnetised section represents the binary number 0.

Question 3

Name an advantage of magnetic devices.

Answer 3

They are cheap and have a high storage capacity.

Question 4

How do optical devices work?

Answer 4

They use lasers to scan the surface of a spinning disk.
Reflected light represents the binary number 1.
No reflection (pits) represents the binary number 0.