Final answer:
True, information must be converted into binary form to be stored on magnetic media such as a hard disk. This process uses digital encoding techniques like magnetoresistance and relies on the principles of magnetism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement is True: Information to be stored on magnetic media like a hard disk must indeed be reduced to binary before it can be stored. Digital devices, including hard drives, encode information using magnetic fields. This encoded information is represented as a series of binary ones and zeros, or bits, which are written upon a spinning hard drive using a technique known as giant magnetoresistance, an early success of nanotechnology.
Unlike analog storage methods, digital data storage allows for clearer transmission of information, especially when signals are weak, and helps in utilizing algorithms for data compression. Common digital storage media such as CDs and DVDs use laser-created pits to accurately record digital information, which is then read by a scattered infrared laser beam as the disc spins, revealing the digital pattern encoded upon them. These innovations on a deep understanding of magnetism, essential for engineering technologies related to computer storage.