read/write head
- noun
- /ˈriːdˌraɪt hɛd/
- Specialized
- In a solid-state drive, the read/write head is replaced by flash memory technology.
Examples
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When the computer starts, the read/write head immediately begins reading data from the hard drive.
-
Data are written onto disk drives in narrow tracks by a magnetic recording read/write head held in place by a suspension system capable of maintaining a stand-off distance to the actual disk of less than 10 nm.
Academic text (2012) -
The read/write head moves back and forth to access different parts of the disk.
Synonyms
1
6.0
A small part in a tape or disk player that reads and writes sound and data using a magnet
Surface Forms
Morphology
read/write + head
The meaning is directly compositional: 'read/write' specifies the functions and 'head' denotes a part of a device, so a learner who knows 'read', 'write' and 'head' can infer 'the part that reads and writes data'. This function+part construction is common in technical vocabulary and cross-linguistically transparent, making it accessible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Read/write head comes from early disk drives: it was a tiny physical 'head' that hovered over a spinning disk and literally read and wrote information by sensing or changing magnetic patterns. So, the name now means the small part of a storage drive that handles 'data'.