Question

Optical drives use a(n) ______ to read and write data.

Answer 1

Optical drives use a laser beam to read and write data onto CDs and other optical media, which is different from the physical stylus used in hard disk drives.

Step-by-step explanation:

Optical drives use a laser beam to read and write data. CDs and optical media utilize a laser to interpret the variations in reflections off their surface, much like a barcode scanner reads a barcode. When referring to hard disk drives, however, the information is read and written by a different mechanism, involving a stylus that reads and writes information to a silver disk.