CLASSICCMP digest 241

<Could someone tell me what exactly "core memory" is? From mentions of Core memory. A system using metal or ferrite(magnetic) material to store data using magnetization. One core, one bit. The direction of magnetic field is key to determining the data stored. <Acoustic delay line? What is that? The principle is that sound(mechanical vibration) moves slower than elctrons. Data, bit are translated from voltages or current to using a transducer resulting mechanical vibration and transmitted through a medium to a like mercury or water to a like transducer where the vibrations are translated back to data. The best example is you see lightening immediately, but sound in air travels about 1100 feet per second. If you time from the flash to the sound you can calculate how far. In solids and liquids sound travels faster but still far slower than the speed of light. So if you put a vibration in to a medium large enough in length there is time before it comes out. So it's possible to put strings of bits in if the medium chosen is long enough as the first one is comming out the last one is in. If you circulate these(with amplification) you now have a memory that is serial in nature and can store information. The name comes from the fact that the first data in will have a finite time delay before it arrives at the other side. The longer the time the more data can transit the space and the greater the storage. There are mechanical and other considerations that limit things. Allison