punch card

Intermediate 💻 Tech / IT

Definition

A card with holes punched in specific patterns to represent data, historically used in computing and payroll systems to record work hours or process information. Employees would insert the card into a time clock to record arrival and departure times.

Example Usage

Factory workers clocked in by inserting their punch cards into the machine each morning.

Origin

Invented in the 1880s by Herman Hollerith for the U.S. Census, punch cards became standard in computing and payroll for decades.

Fun Fact

Punch cards were the primary method of programming early computers like the IBM System/360, and a single program could require thousands of cards.

Source: Definition backfill (hailey)

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