What physical flaw often halted massive data runs during the card's dominance?
Answer
A single bent corner or a stray mark on the card.
A significant inherent weakness in the punch card system, despite its reliability in being tangible—allowing users to verify and stack data—was its susceptibility to physical damage. The entire process of data input and tabulation depended entirely on the precise physical geometry of the card passing through readers. Consequently, even minor physical imperfections, such as a corner being bent out of shape or a stray mark obscuring a hole location, could easily disrupt the electrical sensing mechanism and halt a massive, time-consuming data run.
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