Which statement best describes how optical storage works?

Which statement best describes how optical storage works?

• A. Lasers are used to read and write data on a disc; beams are projected onto the disc; if light is reflected back, it is read as a 1
• B. Beams are projected onto the disc and reflected light is read as bit values
• C. Data is stored as electrical charges on a semiconductor
• D. Data is transmitted over a network

Answer: (B)

Optical storage encodes data as tiny pits and flat areas on the disc surface. A laser is aimed at the disc, and the light that is reflected back depends on whether the spot hits a pit or a land. The detector reads these changes in reflected light and converts them into binary data (0s and 1s). This description—beams projected onto the disc and the reflected light read as bit values—matches how the data is carried by the interaction of light with the disc surface. It focuses on the reading mechanism and how optical signals become digital information. The other statements describe electrical storage or data transmission, which aren’t how optical discs store data.

Optical storage encodes data as tiny pits and flat areas on the disc surface. A laser is aimed at the disc, and the light that is reflected back depends on whether the spot hits a pit or a land. The detector reads these changes in reflected light and converts them into binary data (0s and 1s). This description—beams projected onto the disc and the reflected light read as bit values—matches how the data is carried by the interaction of light with the disc surface. It focuses on the reading mechanism and how optical signals become digital information. The other statements describe electrical storage or data transmission, which aren’t how optical discs store data.