Chapter-4 Secondary Storage Media

1. Fill in the blanks:

a. Magnetic tape is a plastic tape usually half an inch wide, coated on one side with iron oxide which can be magnetized.
b. Magnetic tape is a sequential storage device.
c. Examples of optical disks are CD ROM and DVD.
d. A magnetized spot represents 1 (bit) and the absence of a magnetized spot represents 0 (bit).
e. Flash memory is non volatile memory

2. State whether the following statements are True or False:

a. The secondary storage device that follows the sequential mode of access is a magnetic disk. FALSE
b. Optical disk is made by plastic material. FALSE
c. The new high-performance hard disks rotate at 720 rpm - 1000 rpm. FALSE
d. The CD-ROM is a kind of magnetic disk. FALSE
e. The word bits is a contraction of two words binary and digits. TRUE

3. Give the full forms of the following abbreviations:

CD-ROM = Compact Disk Read Only Memory

DVD = Digital Video / Versatile Disk
MB = Megabyte
GB = Gigabyte
BITS = Binary Digits
CD-RW = Compact Disk Rewritable
WORM = Written Once and Read Many times

4. Match the following:

GROUP A GROUP B

The smallest unit of information on a machine and a single bit can hold
BIT
only one of two values: 0 and 1

Nibble A collection of four bits

Byte A location in computer memory consisting of eight adjacent bits
Megabyte The standard unit of measurement for RAM which is equal to 1024
kilobytes
The standard unit of measurement for hard disks which is equal to 1024
Gigabyte
megabytes
5. Name the technical terms for each of the following statements:

a. A non volatile storage medium that can store all the data and instructions even after the computer is turned off.
Secondary Storage Media / Memory
b. A plastic tape usually half -an - inch wide, coated on one side with iron oxide, which can be magnetized.
Magnetic Tape
c. Disk storage system consists of a rotating disk.
Hard Disk
d. A storage medium from which data is read and to which it is written by lasers.
Optical Disk
e. A location in computer memory consisting of eight adjacent bits.
Byte

6. Choose the best alternatives for each of the following:

a. An example of sequential storage media is

magnetic Tape
b. Storage cost of the optical disk is
very low
c. The hard disk is
secondary memory
d. A storage media that stores data permanently is called
Non- volatile memory

7. Answer the following questions:

a. What is secondary storage? State at least two advantages of it.

Answer: A non volatile type of memory which is cheaper and slower and have huge storage capacity is called Secondary storage.

Two advantages of secondary memory is as follows:

(i) Non Volatile: It is non volatile in nature. It does not lose its contents even when the power supply to the computer is terminated. It
 does not require a continuous power supply as the primary memory does.
(ii) Capacity: Secondary storage media can store a large amount of data and programs in sets of disks that take up less space.

b. What is a magnetic tape? Why is it called sequential access media?

Answer: A secondary storage medium which is used to store data, information for future reference which is used in mini , mainframe or
super computers is called magnetic tape.
Magnetic tape is also called sequential access media or device because it is in a sequential nature. It stores and accesses the data and
information sequentially.

c. What are the advantages and disadvantages of magnetic tape?

Answer:
Advantages of Magnetic Tapes:
Magnetic tapes are easily transportable because they are light and compact in size.
They are the cheapest mode of offline data storage.
Magnetic Tapes are very durable. They can be erased as well as reused.
Disadvantages of Magnetic Tapes:
Data transmission in magnetic tapes is slow as compared to magnetic disks.
Magnetic tapes should be kept in a dust free environment and away from chemicals as they can cause tape reading errors.
Magnetic tape is in sequential nature.
d. What is flash memory? Why is it popular?

Answer: A non volatile memory which is similar to EEPROM and can store a large amount of data is called flash memory.
Flash memory is more popular because of its small size and portability with huge storage capacity and can be used in wide range of
consumer devices, including USB flash drives, mobile phones, digital cameras , tablet computers, PC cards in notebook computers.

e. List any three advantages and disadvantages of magnetic disks as a secondary storage media.
Answer:
Three advantages of magnetic disks are as follows:
It is most widely used and popular storage mediums for direct access secondary storage.
The data in magnetic disk can be erased and reused.
 The disk is covered within a protective case or cartridge to shield it from the dust and other external interference.
Three Disadvantages of magnetic disks are as follows:
Data can be altered by magnetic fields, dust, mechanical problems
Gradually lose their charge over time - data lost
Hard disks eventually fail which stops the computer from working.
Regular crashes can damage the surface of the disk, leading to loss of data in that sector.
f. What is an optical disk? Which technology is used to read/write on to optical disk?

Answer: A storage system consists of a rotating disk, which is coated with a thin metal or some other highly reflective material is called
optical disk.
Laser beam technology is used to read/write on to optical disk.

g. What is a CD-ROM?

Answer: An optical disk where data written once and read many times (WORM) which is a shiny, silver colour metal disk of 12 cm diameter
is called CD-ROM. It is made up of a resin , such as polycarbonate material.

h. List any two advantages and disadvantages of optical disks as a secondary storage media.
Answer:
Two advantages of optical disks are as follows:
An optical disk is tougher than tapes of floppy disks. It is physically harder to break, melt or wrap.
The cost of a optical disk is very low. Because of their low cost and enormous storage capacity, they are used widely.
Two Disadvantages of optical disks are as follows:
The data access speed of an optical disk is slower than in the speed of a magnetic disk.
Reading writing procedures are more difficult in optical disks than magnetic disks.
i. Differentiate between sequential access and random access media with one example each.
Answer:
Sequential Access Media Random Access Media

1. The media in which we access the data 1. The media in which we access the data and
 and information sequentially i.e. one after information randomly i.e. from start , end or
another is called Sequential Access Media. from middle is called Random Access Media.

2. Examples: Magnetic Tape 2. Examples: Hard Disk

j. What is a byte? How much bytes are there in 3MB?

Answer: A location in computer memory consisting of eight adjacent bits is called a byte.
1 MB = 1024 KB = 1024 * 1024 bytes = 1048576 bytes
3 MB = 3 * 1048576 = 3145728 bytes

k. What is a nibble? How many nibbles are there in 8 bytes?

Answer: A collection of four bits is called a nibble.

Here,
1 Byte = 8 bits
8 Bytes = 8 x 8 = 64 Bits
Also,
4 Bits = 1 Nibble
1 Bit = 1 / 4 Nibble
64 Bits = (1 / 4) * 64 = 16 Nibble
Hence, 8 Bytes = 16 Nibble.