Slot

A slot is a specific time for an aircraft to take off or land at an airport. Air traffic controllers use slots to manage the flow of flights and prevent the repeated delays that can occur when too many planes try to take off or land at the same time.

A computerized slot machine that accepts coins and pays out prizes based on how many symbols line up on a payline. The number of coins placed determines how many possible lines a player can win on, and the payout scales with the amount a player bets. A player can also press a button (or, in older machines, flip a lever) to spin the reels. If the symbols match a winning combination, the player receives the amount listed on the paytable.

In hockey, the high slot is a position near the goal that offers an excellent vantage point for a defender to rip a blistering slap shot. The high slot is considered one of the most difficult positions in the game to defend, because it requires a fast response from the goalie.

In computer science, a slot is a specific type of file identifier used to represent a memory location. A slot is an important part of a computer’s architecture, and it is necessary for the proper operation of the system. Without a slot, a computer would not be able to store and retrieve data. Slots are implemented in hardware as expansion cards, ISA slots, PCI slots, and AGP slots.