head

magnetic recording

Also known as: magnetic head, recording head, tape head

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 17, 2026

Quick Summary

A magnetic head is an electromagnet used in magnetic recording. It converts electrical signals into magnetic records on materials like tape or wire, or converts magnetic recordings back into electrical signals. It can also be used to erase magnetic recordings.1

Magnetic recording itself is a method of storing sounds, pictures, and data by selectively magnetizing parts of a magnetic material. This technology was first demonstrated in 1900 by Valdemar Poulsen with his telegraphone, which recorded speech on steel wire. Modern applications include magnetic tape and disk recorders for audio, video, and computer data storage.2

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sound recording
The audiotape
The recording head of the tape deck consists of a tiny C-shaped magnet with its gap adjacent to the moving tape. The incoming sound wave, having been converted by a microphone into an electrical signal, produces a time-varying magnetic field in the gap of the magnet. As…
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The recording head of the tape deck consists of a tiny C-shaped magnet with its gap adjacent to the moving tape. The incoming sound wave, having been converted by a microphone into an electrical signal, produces a time-varying magnetic field in the gap of the magnet. As…
Read More

computer memory
Magnetic disk drives
…disks, or platters, with an electromagnetic read/write head for each surface; the entire assembly is called a comb. A microprocessor in the drive controls the motion of the heads and also contains RAM to store data for transfer to and from the disks. The heads move across the disk surface…
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…disks, or platters, with an electromagnetic read/write head for each surface; the entire assembly is called a comb. A microprocessor in the drive controls the motion of the heads and also contains RAM to store data for transfer to and from the disks. The heads move across the disk surface…
Read More