magnetic drum

noun

, Computers.

1. a cylinder coated with magnetic material, on which data and programs can be stored.

Word History and Origins

Origin of magnetic drum¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Instead, said Dr Johnson, he invented magnetic drum storage that used a small brass drum coated with nickel.

From BBC

There are two features that might be mentioned: the magnetic drum for storing permanent information and the cathode-ray tubes for storing information produced in the course of a calculation.

From The Guardian

The magnetic drum will hold 650,000 binary digits and each of the eight cathode-tubes sixty-four twenty-digit numbers.

From The Guardian

Oedipus could hold 160,000 characters of particular phrases on its magnetic drum memory and a further 60,000 characters in its read-only associative store, which consisted of huge numbers of semiconductor diodes.

From BBC

Then the words were recorded on a revolving magnetic drum.

From Time Magazine Archive