Paper Punch Tape

Physicists coded and recorded their programs through series of holes on punch paper tape or on punched cards. It was popular in the 1970s due to its high throughput speed and low cost, paper tape was one of the original data storage methods for computers. Information was encoded in the distinct pattern of holes punched in the paper; the paper itself was oiled to facilitate being run through the reading mechanism and to prevent tears due to brittleness. Though the paper was cheap, it had low storage capacity (only a few dozen kilobytes per roll) and the machinery involved in punching the holes was quite expensive. Higher capacity alternatives, such as magnetic tape, has get developped.