computer science

SELF-SCAN

SELF-SCAN is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SELF-SCAN rather than just read about it. In short: SELF-SCAN is a family of plasma displays introduced by Burroughs Corporation during the 1970s. The most common format was a single-row dot matrix display in sizes from 16 to 40 ASCII characters wide.

Key takeaways

SELF-SCAN belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SELF-SCAN to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SELF-SCAN from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

SELF-SCAN is a family of plasma displays introduced by Burroughs Corporation during the 1970s. The most common format was a single-row dot matrix display in sizes from 16 to 40 ASCII characters wide. Other formats were also produced, including the SELF-SCAN II 40 wide by 12 or 6 line high displays, and a variety of custom displays showing gauges or pointers. The SELF-SCAN displays were an important stepping-stone technology between printer-based teletype-like terminals of the 1960s and the widespread use of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays from the mid-1970s on. They were often used for operator terminals on mainframe and minicomputers, and after that continued to see some use in demanding environments where their thinness, on the order of 1 inch, and resistance to interference from magnetic and electric fields that cause problems for CRTs. The introduction of low-cost liquid crystal displays (LCD)s replaced plasma displays in these uses by the mid-1990s.

References Burroughs Displays and Readouts×. Burroughs. 1977.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SELF-SCAN

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SELF-SCAN claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SELF-SCAN before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SELF-SCAN ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SELF-SCAN

In research: SELF-SCAN appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SELF-SCAN in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SELF-SCAN is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computing stubs, Electronic display devices, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SELF-SCAN outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SELF-SCAN in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SELF-SCAN means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SELF-SCAN out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SELF-SCAN in simple terms?

SELF-SCAN is a family of plasma displays introduced by Burroughs Corporation during the 1970s. The most common format was a single-row dot matrix display in sizes from 16 to 40 ASCII characters wide.

Why does SELF-SCAN matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SELF-SCAN?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SELF-SCAN.