external storage device of Mylar tape coated with a material that can be magnetized to store information. Tape length usually consists of seven or nine tracks. Only 6 or 8 bits, respectively, are used for data storage and the additional bit is referred to as the PARITY bit. There is a row of bits, one for each track, in a binary code such as ASCII for a number, character, or special symbol. Data on a tape can only be sequentially accessed. Each read or write onto the tape transfers a whole block of data (i.e., records).