How can I develop a project around hard disk access times?

[cmkluza]

Homework Statement

I won't be following this format exactly, but I'm trying to come up with an idea for a physics exploration I need to do and I think I'm finally getting close to something. I'm trying to figure out what actual experiments I can do with this topic, and if they're of a high enough level in physics.

I've recently been told about using hard disk drives or CD drives in order to try to find and test an access time formula or something of the sort. Basically some experiment involving hard disk drives.

So, are any experiments possible with something like this? If so, can anyone elaborate on them or give me some resources that I can use to learn of or develop an experiment? Furthermore, would any of these experiments be commensurate with the level of an advanced high school senior physics class, or a basic university level physics class?

Thanks for any help!

Homework Equations

N/A

The Attempt at a Solution

I can't seem to find any resources to try and develop an experiment from, despite my searches. Sorry if I'm missing something obvious.

 

[Nidum]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Disk_scheduling_algorithms

 

[J Hann]

Probably not too easy to do.
Using a high level language like Oracle SQL one could do something like
Set Timing On
Select (retrieve a table (file) line)
Insert (add a table line)
Set Timing Off
And you would get something like
real: 120 the time in milliseconds
Getting the real time for accessing the drive would be something that
the lower level languages used by the hardware developers
might provide - but that's getting deeper into the software.