<s>
In	O
data	B-General_Concept
processing	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
scratch	B-Device
tape	I-Device
is	O
a	O
magnetic	B-Architecture
tape	I-Architecture
that	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
temporary	O
storage	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
reused	O
or	O
erased	O
after	O
the	O
completion	O
of	O
a	O
job	O
or	O
processing	O
run	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
early	O
years	O
of	O
computing	O
,	O
when	O
magnetic	B-Architecture
tape	I-Architecture
was	O
the	O
primary	O
form	O
of	O
mass	O
storage	O
,	O
many	O
programs	O
,	O
notably	O
sorting	B-Algorithm
routines	I-Algorithm
,	O
required	O
such	O
temporary	O
storage	O
.	O
</s>
