CD vs Vinyl

[firetto]

Does a CD work in the same way as a vinyl record?...if so, does it scan from the outside in or vice versa?

[Mortartube]

CD's play from the inside out.There are areas called pits (self explanatory holes) in the plastic and the non pitted areas are called lands. A laser reads these pits as data, different depths are different data. A vinyl record uses a stylus to cut a disc, the vibrations of sound cause the stylus to vibrate and cause little bumps to be cut in the groove in the master disc. This is then reproduced and pressed as a record.

[jenstar]

A vinyl record is analogue and a CD is digital, so they certainly don't work the same way.

[Mortartube]

Jenstar. Sorry if I implied that records and CD's work in the same way, because they don't.

[rja211077]

i wouldn't try sticking a needle on your spinning CD, put it that way.

[OBonio]

Also, the RPM changes for CDs. Get a CD with a long play time and you should hear a difference between revs on the first track (fast) and the last track (slow). This, I assume, is to keep constant rate of input when the laser is scanning different areas of the disk. I believe vinyl players have a constant RPM (though I stand to be corrected!).

[radev]

A cd can rotate as high as 500 rpm