Compact Disc 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?

[sft42]

Almost but not quite...

A vinyl record has one continuous groove running on one side of the disc and a diamond tipped needle sits in this groove and the ridges in the sides of this groove are transmitted into a small magentic cartridge (this works in the opposite effect of the speaker at the end ofthe hi-fi chain) which then sends it's signal to an amplifier which boosts this signal to go onwards to the speakers.

A Compact Disc works by a laser beam being shone onto the surface which reads the "pits" in the surface of the silver reflective layer of the CD.

A CD runs from inside to out....a vinyl record from out to in.