Editing Reading (computer) (section)

{{Other uses|Reading (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Action performed by computers}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}

'''Reading''' is an action performed by [[computers]], to acquire [[data]] from a source and place it into their [[volatile memory]] for [[Process (computing)|processing]]. Computers may read information from a variety of sources, such as [[magnetic storage]], the [[Internet]], or [[Sound|audio]] and [[video]] input [[Computer port (hardware)|ports]]. Reading is one of the core functions of a [[Turing machine]].

A '''read cycle''' is the act of reading one unit of information (e.g. a byte). A '''read channel''' is an electrical circuit that transforms the physical magnetic flux changes into abstract bits. A '''read error''' occurs when the physical part of the process fails for some reason, such as dust or dirt entering the drive.