Definitions for random access
ran·dom ac·cess

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. random accessnoun

   The ability to access any element of a sequence in real time, without having to seek through preceding elements.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Random access

   Random access (more precisely and more generally called direct access) is the ability to access an arbitrary element of a sequence in equal time or any datum from a population of addressable elements roughly as easily and efficiently as any other, no matter how many elements may be in the set. In computer science it is typically contrasted to sequential access which requires data to be retrieved in the order it was stored. For example, data might be stored notionally in a single sequence like a row, in two dimensions like rows and columns on a surface, or in multiple dimensions. However, given all the coordinates, a program can access each record about as quickly and easily as any other. In this sense, the choice of datum is arbitrary in the sense that no matter which item is sought, all that is needed to find it is its address, i.e. the coordinates at which it is located, such as its row and column (or its track and record number on a magnetic drum). At first, the term "random access" was used because the process had to be capable of finding records no matter in which sequence they were required. However, soon the term "direct access" gained favour because one could directly retrieve a record, no matter what its position might be. The operative attribute, however, is that the device can access any required record immediately on demand. The opposite is sequential access, where a remote element takes longer time to access.A typical illustration of this distinction is to compare an ancient scroll (sequential; all material prior to the data needed must be unrolled) and the book (direct: can be immediately flipped open to any arbitrary page). A more modern example is a cassette tape (sequential — one must fast forward through earlier songs to get to later ones) and a CD (direct access — one can skip to the track wanted, knowing that it would be the one retrieved). In data structures, direct access implies the ability to access any entry in a list in constant time (independent of its position in the list and of the list's size). Very few data structures can make this guarantee other than arrays (and related structures like dynamic arrays). Direct access is required, or at least valuable, in many algorithms such as binary search, integer sorting, or certain versions of sieve of Eratosthenes.Other data structures, such as linked lists, sacrifice direct access to permit efficient inserts, deletes, or re-ordering of data. Self-balancing binary search trees may provide an acceptable compromise, where access time is not equal for all members of a collection, but the maximum time to retrieve a given member grows only logarithmically with its size.

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1. Random access

   In computer science, random access is the ability to access an element at an arbitrary position in a sequence in equal time, independent of sequence size. The position is arbitrary in the sense that it is unpredictable, thus the use of the term "random" in "random access". The opposite is sequential access, where a remote element takes longer time to access. A typical illustration of this distinction is to compare an ancient scroll and the book. A more modern example is a cassette tape and a CD. In data structures, random access implies the ability to access any entry in a list in constant time. Very few data structures can guarantee this, other than arrays. Random access is critical, or at least valuable, to many algorithms such as binary search, integer sorting or certain versions of sieve of Eratosthenes. Other data structures, such as linked lists, sacrifice random access to make for efficient inserts, deletes, or reordering of data. Self-balancing binary search trees may provide an acceptable compromise, where access time is equal for any member of a collection and only grows logarithmically with its size.

How to pronounce random access?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

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   Tessa

   South African

How to say random access in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of random access in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of random access in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

References

1. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Random_Access
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_Access
3. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=random access