punched tape reader
- noun
- Archaic
:
lector de cinta perforada
- The punched tape reader was essential for transferring programs into early computers.
Examples
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With the advent of newer storage technologies, the punched tape reader became largely obsolete.
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Engineers routinely checked the punched tape reader for jammed or misaligned tape.
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The punched tape reader processed the data quickly.
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Many punched tape readers are now obsolete.
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Engineers routinely checked the punched tape reader for jammed or misaligned tape.
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The punched tape reader was essential for transferring programs into early computers.
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With the advent of newer storage technologies, the punched tape reader became largely obsolete.
Synonyms
A machine that reads information from paper tape with holes
A machine that gets data from long paper with holes used by old computers
A machine that looks at holes in a long paper strip to get computer instructions
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositional: 'punched' (having holes made by punching) modifies 'tape' (a data-carrying strip), and 'reader' denotes a device that reads; together they straightforwardly describe a device that reads a tape with punched holes. Although somewhat technical, the individual meanings combine in a predictable, cross-linguistically common way, so a B1 learner who knows the parts should be able to infer the overall meaning.
Etymology
Punched tape reader comes from a simple physical picture: a long paper tape had small holes punched into it to store information, and a machine called the reader ran the tape and sensed which holes were there. So the name now means a device that 'reads' 'data' from patterns of holes in paper tape.
