Final answer:
The delay when you have to wait for the correct sector to spin and read/write head is known as rotational latency.
Step-by-step explanation:
The delay when you have to wait for the correct sector to spin and read/write head is known as rotational latency.
In computer hard drives, data is stored on spinning platters, and the read/write head needs to wait for the correct sector to come under it before it can access or modify the data. This delay is caused by the rotation of the platters and is measured in milliseconds.
For example, if a hard drive has a rotational speed of 7200 revolutions per minute (RPM), it means that the platters complete one rotation every 60/7200 = 0.00833 seconds. This corresponds to an average rotational latency of 0.00417 seconds (or 4.17 milliseconds).