18WuD2x

ecompile • rectified alternating current 587
recompile In computer operations, to COMPILE
again, usually according to program amendments
following debugging, or to create a different form
of a program so that it will be compatible with
other hardware.
record 1. See PHONOGRAPH DISC. 2. A chart delivered
by a graphic recorder. 3. To make one of
the foregoing. 4. In data processing, a constituent
of a file. 5. In data processing, a data unit portraying
a specific transaction.
record blocking In data processing operations,
making data blocks from groups of records so
that the blocks can, in a single operation, be
transferred to a nonvolatile storage medium,
such as diskette or tape.
record count A usually running total of a file’s
records.
recorded disc A phonograph disc on which a
recording has been made. Also called PRERE-
CORDED DISC.
recorded tape Magnetic tape containing recorded
material. Also called PRERECORDED TAPE.
Compare BLANK TAPE.
recorder 1. A machine for preserving sound, video,
or data signals in the sequence in which they occur
(e.g., DISC RECORDER, TAPE RECORDER,
and WIRE RECORDER). 2. A machine for making
a permanent visual record (photographically or
by stylus) of an electrical phenomenon. Examples:
DRUM RECORDER and OSCILLOGRAPH.
record head See RECORDING HEAD.
recording density In a magnetic storage medium,
the number of information units (bits, bytes, etc.)
represented by magnetized areas, per unit area or
length.
recording disc A phonograph record on which material
has not been recorded, or from which
recorded material has been removed. Compare
PRERECORDED DISC.
recording head In a magnetic recorder/reproducer,
the head that magnetizes the medium in
accordance with sounds or other signals. Also
called RECORD HEAD and WRITE HEAD. Compare
PLAYBACK HEAD.
Recording Industry Association of America Abbreviation,
RIAA. An organization that sets standards
for audio recording and reproduction in the
United States.
recording instrument A measuring instrument,
such as a voltmeter or ammeter, that makes a
permanent record of its deflections. Also see
RECORDER, 2.
recording loss 1. Loss of data during a recording
process. 2. Loss resulting from recording efficiency
of less than 100 percent; audio power loss.
recording tape Magnetic tape on which nothing
has been recorded, or from which all data has
been erased. Compare PRERECORDED TAPE.
recovery time 1. Symbol, t r . The time required for
a semiconductor pn junction to attain its highresistance
state when the bias voltage is suddenly
switched from forward to reverse. 2. The time required
for a circuit to recover from momentary
overdrive. 3. The time required for a computer
system to stabilize following a degenerative operation.
4. The time required for switching a memory
from the write to the read mode. It is
measured as the length of time from switching
out of the write mode until meaningful signals occur
at the output. 5. In a transceiver, the time required
from the completion of a transmitted
signal until the receiver is activated.
rect Abbreviation of RECTIFIER.
rectangular coordinates See CARTESIAN COOR-
DINATES.
rectangular scan 1. A method of beam scanning in
a cathode-ray tube, in which the beam moves sequentially
in parallel lines to cover a rectangular
region. Used in television. 2. In radar, a twodimensional
scan, covering a specific rectangular
region.
rectangular wave An alternating or pulsating current
or voltage whose rise and decay times are essentially
zero, and whose maxima and minima
are essentially flat, but not necessarily of equal
duration. The SQUARE WAVE is a special type of
rectangular wave.
+
Amplitude
−
rectangular wave
Time
rectangular waveguide A waveguide having a rectangular
cross section.
rectification The conversion of alternating current
into pulsating direct current by any means other
than the use of a motor-generator. Also see REC-
TIFIER.
rectification efficiency The ratio (expressed as a
percentage) of the direct-current output voltage
to the peak alternating-current input voltage of a
rectifier.
rectified alternating current The unfiltered, pulsating
direct-current output of a rectifier. It consists
of the unidirectional half-cycles passed by
the rectifier (one per cycle for half-wave rectification,
and two per cycle for full-wave rectification).