Storage devices – does a compact disc (CD) player provide random access capability (for example, jump directly to a track/time position without scanning all prior data)?

Introduction / Context:
Random access means the device can seek directly to a desired location without stepping through all intervening data. This question checks whether an optical compact disc (CD) player fits that definition, contrasting it with strictly sequential media like magnetic tape.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The medium is a standard audio/data CD with a table of contents and physical addressing.
• The player includes a laser pickup on a sled with a tracking/servo system.
• We are evaluating access behavior, not audio quality or file-system specifics.

Concept / Approach:
A CD stores data along a spiral track, but the mechanism can reposition the optical pickup rapidly to a new radius and lock to the requested logical block address or track index. Because the controller can compute the target position and move there directly, the access mode is classified as random (seekable), not purely sequential. This stands in contrast to tape, which must wind past intervening data to reach a later point.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Practical behavior: users select track 10 instantly from track 1; data CD drives “seek” to files by logical block address. Typical firmware briefly references the table of contents (TOC) to map positions but does not scan intervening audio frames to reach the destination.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
“Incorrect” confuses spiral layout with access mode. “Only on rewritable CDs” is irrelevant; read-only discs are also seekable. “Only after full TOC scan each time” misstates: TOC read is quick metadata, not sequential traversal. “Only if disc is in RAM mode” mixes up packet writing with access capability.

Common Pitfalls:
Equating spiral physical layout with sequential access; ignoring that mechanical seeking enables direct positioning similar to hard drives.

Final Answer:
Correct