A narrow, elongated depression, groove, notch, or slit, especially one that admits something, such as a coin or letter. Also used figuratively to refer to a position in a group, series, or sequence: She slotted the new filter into the machine.
In computing, a slot is an expansion card that plugs into a computer motherboard to add functionality. For example, a motherboard may have slots for ISA cards, PCI cards, and AGP cards. Slots are also used to connect hard disk drives and other peripheral devices to a computer.
While slot machines captivate gamblers with their colorful reels and tantalizing payout possibilities, a complex science underpins them. In fact, a slot machine’s random number generator (RNG) ensures that every spin is truly random.
To start a game, the player inserts cash or, in ticket-in, ticket-out machines, a paper ticket with a barcode. The machine then dispenses symbols that line up on the paylines according to the specific game’s rules. In addition to standard icons, many slot games have special features such as Wild symbols that act as substitutes for other symbols and trigger bonus levels or other game features.
The RNG generates a unique sequence of symbols for each spin and uses a cryptographic algorithm to verify that the data has not been tampered with. The encryption process is very difficult to break, even with sophisticated computers. In addition to preventing cheating, the encryption helps protect against malicious software.
Once a slot is allocated to a query, BigQuery continuously monitors the capacity demands of all queries, re-evaluating their slots and pausing or re-allocating them as needed. Using this technique, BigQuery guarantees that all queries have access to the required number of slots and can finish processing within the given time.
Slots can be used for internal or external users and are configured with various properties in the ACC. In general, it is best to use a single scenario to feed content to a slot; using multiple scenarios in a slot can cause unpredictable results. For more information on how to configure slots and their properties, see the Using Slots chapter of the ATG Personalization Programming Guide.