Which storage medium uses magnetic techniques to store and retrieve data on discs or tapes?

The answer you’ve provided points to a storage medium categorized under magnetic techniques, which refer to the method of storing data through the alignment of magnetic particles on a surface. Magnetic techniques are commonly associated with hard drives and magnetic tapes.

While "magnetic medium" describes the overarching system involving magnetic storage technologies, hard drives specifically operate on magnetic principles to store and retrieve data on spinning discs. They consist of platters coated with magnetic material and utilize read/write heads to access data, representing the primary technology for magnetic storage in computing environments.

In contrast, solid state drives rely on flash memory, which does not utilize magnetic techniques at all, and flash drives also operate on similar principles as SSDs. Therefore, while the term "magnetic medium" appears correct, it is somewhat broad. When referring directly to common data storage devices based on magnetic techniques, the hard drive is often the most representative example within this context.

This distinction is crucial as it highlights how various storage technologies can differ significantly in terms of their operational mechanics and underlying principles.