Punched tape

Punched tape is a type of long strip made out of paper or plastic that has holes in it. Each hole represents a number or letter. People used punched tape in the old days to store and send information. For example, a telegram – which was like an old-fashioned text message – would be written down by hand and the words would be put into holes on a strip of punched tape. The punched tape strip would then be sent to the person it was meant for, and they could read the message by looking at the pattern of holes.