Why were magnetic tapes used to replace punch cards in Second Generation computers?

Homework Help: Questions and Answers: Why were magnetic tapes used to replace punch cards in Second Generation computers?

A. Increased reliability
B. Increased manual labor
C. Increased cost of production
D. Increased computer memory

Answer:

First, let’s understand about Punch Cards and Magnetic Tapes:

Punch Cards:

• First-generation computers used punch cards for input and data storage.
• These cards were unreliable, as they could be damaged easily (bent, torn, or misaligned).
• They had limited data storage capacity.

Magnetic Tapes:

• Introduced in the Second Generation of computers.
• Tapes are more reliable, durable, and capable of storing significantly more data compared to punch cards.
• They also reduced manual labor involved in handling punch cards and allowed for faster data access.

Given Options: Step by Step Answering

a) Increased reliability

• Magnetic tapes were more reliable than punch cards, which was one reason for their adoption.

b) Increased manual labor

• Actually, magnetic tapes reduced manual labor by automating data handling, so this is incorrect.

c) Increased cost of production

• Although magnetic tapes might have had a different cost structure than punch cards, this was not the main reason for the switch. It was more about performance and reliability.

d) Increased computer memory

• Magnetic tapes had greater storage capacity, which indirectly affected memory management, but this is not the primary reason either.

Final Answer:

Based on the above analysis, the correct answer is: 

A. Increased reliability.

The main reason for replacing punch cards with magnetic tapes was increased reliability.

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