magnetic head
- noun
- /mæɡˈnɛtɪk hɛd/
- Specialized
- When the magnetic head moves over the disk, it reads the stored data to play back the audio.
Examples
-
Another difference between an optical head and a magnetic head is that an optical system does pass DC.
Academic text (1996) -
Ground material passes over four magnetic head pulleys and is screened to remove over- and undersized pieces.
Academic text (1995) -
His group is responsible for developing advanced magnetic head-disk interfaces for 1 terabit-per-square-inch recording density and beyond.
Academic text (2004) -
The application of through-mask electroplating in the fabrication of thin-film magnetic heads created a revolution in the storage industry.
Academic text (1998) -
He has applied the systems approach to achieve high productivity in production-grinding processes for steel components, thin-film magnetic heads, and advanced ceramics.
Academic text (1996) -
The magnetic head in the tape recorder converts electrical impulses into magnetic patterns on the tape.
-
Replacing the magnetic head of the VCR can improve the quality of the video playback.
Synonyms
A small part inside a hard disk that reads and writes data using magnets
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally clear: a B1 learner who knows 'magnetic' and 'head' will understand this refers to a (usually small) head or component that is magnetic. However, the specific technical function of converting electrical signals into magnetic patterns for recording/retrieval is domain-specific and not fully predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partly transparent.
Etymology
Magnetic head: The name magnetic head comes from old tape recorders, where a small metal piece called the head touched the moving tape and used a magnet to 'write' sounds on the tape or 'read' them back. So today magnetic head means the part of a player or recorder that reads or writes information on magnetic tape.