On a traditional magnetic disk, data location is determined by the combination of which two geometry components?

On a traditional magnetic disk, data location is determined by the combination of which two geometry components?

• A. Cylinder and Head
• B. Sectors and Tracks
• C. Tracks and Disks
• D. Heads and Cylinders

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that data on a traditional magnetic disk is located by the specific path on the surface and the segment of that path. A disk surface is divided into tracks, which are circular paths, and each track is divided into sectors, which are wedge-shaped divisions. To pinpoint a exact piece of data, you specify both the track (which circle) and the sector within that track. That combination uniquely identifies where the data block sits on that surface, so reading or writing can occur at that precise location. Other pairs describe broader or partial addressing. For example, cylinder and head relate to a CHS addressing model that spans multiple surfaces, but you still need the sector to locate a particular data block. Tracks and disks isn’t a standard, precise pairing for locating a single sector, and heads with cylinders similarly point to a multi-surface addressing scheme without specifying the exact sector. The direct, practical location within one surface is determined by the track and the sector.

The key idea is that data on a traditional magnetic disk is located by the specific path on the surface and the segment of that path. A disk surface is divided into tracks, which are circular paths, and each track is divided into sectors, which are wedge-shaped divisions. To pinpoint a exact piece of data, you specify both the track (which circle) and the sector within that track. That combination uniquely identifies where the data block sits on that surface, so reading or writing can occur at that precise location.

Other pairs describe broader or partial addressing. For example, cylinder and head relate to a CHS addressing model that spans multiple surfaces, but you still need the sector to locate a particular data block. Tracks and disks isn’t a standard, precise pairing for locating a single sector, and heads with cylinders similarly point to a multi-surface addressing scheme without specifying the exact sector. The direct, practical location within one surface is determined by the track and the sector.