Sector

In mathematics (geometry), a sector is the "pie shaped" area of part of a circle enclosed by two radii and an arc.

In the context of computer hardware, a sector is a sub-division of a track of a magnetic hard disk or optical disc. A sector stores a fixed amount of data. The typical formatting of sectors allows holding 512 bytes of data.

See also: hard disk drive, hard disk drive partitioning, FAT

Sector can also be used metaphorically, referring to a generic piece or portion of something.

For example, in economics, analysis can divide the totality of economic activity into sectors. See for example private sector, public sector, service sector. A traditional breakdown identifies:

• the primary sector
• the secondary sector
• the tertiary sector