What is a Slot?
A slot is an authorization to take off or land at a busy airport during a certain period of time. It is used to prevent repeated delays caused by too many flights trying to land or take off at the same time.
A player inserts cash or, in ticket-in, ticket-out machines, a paper ticket with a barcode into the designated slot on a slot machine to activate it and begin playing. The machine then spins the reels and stops at specific positions to reveal symbols, which can be matched in combinations to earn credits based on the paytable. The symbols vary depending on the theme of the slot.
In sports, a slot receiver is an important position in modern offenses because they are close to the quarterback and the ball carrier and can make plays for both passing and running games. However, their position is also more vulnerable to big hits and they can be at risk of injuries.
A slot in a computer refers to an expansion slot such as an ISA (Industry Standard Architecture), PCI, or AGP (accelerated graphics port) slot. The slots are usually connected by a ribbon cable, and can contain one or more expansion cards. Often, slots are used to add more memory to the system. However, the term can also be used to describe the number of memory chips that are installed on a motherboard. The more slots, the more memory capacity can be added.