Final answer:
The capacity of the disk pack is 536,870,912 bytes (512 MB). To specify a particular sector, 19 bits are needed as there are a total of 524,288 sectors on the disk.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the capacity of the disk pack, you would multiply the total number of surfaces by the number of tracks per surface, then multiply that product by the number of sectors per track, and finally multiply by the number of bytes per sector:
- Number of surfaces: 16
- Tracks per surface: 128
- Sectors per track: 256
- Bytes per sector: 512
The formula for the capacity is therefore:
Capacity = 16 surfaces * 128 tracks/surface * 256 sectors/track * 512 bytes/sector
Performing the calculation gives a total capacity of 536,870,912 bytes (512 MB).
To find the number of bits required to specify a particular sector, we need to calculate the total number of sectors and then find out how many bits are needed to address that many sectors uniquely, which is essentially the log base 2 of the total number of sectors:
- Total sectors = 16 surfaces * 128 tracks/surface * 256 sectors/track
- Total sectors = 524,288
- Bits needed = log₂(524,288) = 19
So you need 19 bits to specify any sector on the disk.