A bit cell is the length of tape, the area of disc surface, or the part of an integrated circuit in which a single bit is recorded. The smaller the bit cells are, the better the storage density of the medium is.
In magnetic storage, the magnetic flux or magnetization doesn't necessarily change at the boundaries of bit cells to indicate bit states. For example, the presence of a magnetic transition within a bit cell might record state 1, and the lack of such a transition might record state 0. Other encodings are also possible.
Famous quotes containing the words bit and/or cell:
“The Lord made Adam, the Lord made Eve, he made ‘em both a little bit naive.”
—E.Y. Harburg (1898–1981)
“There’s not one part of his physical being that’s like that of human beings. From his warped brain down to the tiniest argumentative cell of his huge carcass, he’s unearthly.”
—Willis Cooper. Rowland V. Lee. Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone)