Meaning – The term pit, refers to the recessed area on a CD or DVD where data is stored. CDs and DVDs store data in lands and pits. The lands represent 1 and the pits represent 0 in binary computing. The bits are read by the disc drive that uses a laser beam to distinguish between the lands and pits based on the amount of scattering or deflection that occurs when the beam of light hits the surface of the disc.
To write 1’ & 0’s on CD, a laser beam is used. To write 1, the laser beam is turned on, which turns a pit up to the reflecting layer. To write 0, the laser beam is not turned on & hence, no pit is burned. The surface when there is no pit is called land.
Example of usage – “All-Optical media (CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, etc.) have pits and lands. These are microscopic and represent the binary information of the data stored on the disc. “
