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Glite Dictionary
drum memory

drum memory

9.9
An early computer storage device using a rotating metal cylinder covered with magnetic material to hold data
  • noun
  • /drʌm ˈmɛməri/
  • Archaic
translation icon : memoria de tambor
  • Many drum memories were used in the 1940s.

Examples

  • The first computers in the laboratory used drum memory to store their programs and data.

  • Technicians had to carefully align the heads on the drum memory to ensure accurate reading and writing.

  • Drum memory became obsolete when smaller and faster storage technologies were developed.

  • The drum memory was crucial for early computing.

  • In the early days of computing, engineers often relied on drum memory to store data on rotating metal cylinders.

  • The use of drum memory in the 1950s allowed for faster access to stored information compared to earlier methods.

  • Devices like the LGP-30 utilized drum memory to provide affordable computational power during the early computer era.

Synonyms

magnetic drum
vsdrum memory
  • Archaic
7.4

A round metal object covered with magnetic material that stores computer data, especially in early computers

is the historical name for the same early computer storage device

Surface Forms

drum memory singular
drum memories plural

Morphology

drum + memory

The compound combines 'drum' (a cylindrical object) and 'memory' (data storage), so a learner can infer it denotes a memory/storage device that uses a drum-shaped component. This is a straightforward descriptive noun–noun compound following common compounding patterns, making the meaning predictable to a B1 learner who knows the constituents.

Etymology

Drum memory comes from early computers that stored information on a metal cylinder that turned like a drum. Small read/write heads touched the spinning surface to record data, so the name means a kind of 'memory' kept on a turning drum.