Random access is the ability to access a random element of a group in equal time. The opposite is
sequential access, where a remote element takes longer time to access. A typical illustration of this distinction is the ancient
scroll (sequential) and the
book where any random
page can be flipped open immediately. A more modern example is computer storage on magnetic tape on spools (sequential) and hard disks (random access). The term
random access memory (RAM), however, is used for ferrite core
? or semiconductor chip memory circuits used in computers.
See also: array, linked list
/Talk