A narrow notch or groove, as in the keyway of a door or window, or a slit in an aircraft or boat wing to control airflow. Also: a position in a group, series, or sequence; a time slot slot server thailand for an aircraft takeoff or landing (as authorized by an airport or air-traffic authority).

A computer memory location that can be used to store data for temporary use, as in a disk cache. Often, the size of a slot is controlled by an operating system to maximize available memory for other applications and minimize resource utilization.

Traditionally, slot was a term applied to an area of a computer that contained connection pinholes and a place for expansion cards containing the circuitry for specialized capability, such as video acceleration or disk drive control. Today, most desktop computers come with slots for adding new capabilities as needed.

In gambling, a slot is a reel with a symbol or a combination of symbols that can be hit to win money and/or credits. Older machines featured bells, spades, diamonds, and horseshoes; modern machines may have anything from fruit to movie stars or playing card symbols to numbers and letters. Some machines even have bonus symbols that trigger special games with bigger payouts.

Football teams rely on slot receivers because they are usually shorter and faster than traditional wide receivers. However, this position carries with it some additional risks. Because of their proximity to the middle of the field, they can be targeted on more passes and are at greater risk for big hits. On running plays, they are important blockers for the ball carrier and can be used effectively in route combinations to confuse defenses.

Slot is also a term in air traffic management that refers to an airline’s scheduled time for takeoff or landing at a congested airport. The use of slots has resulted in huge savings in delays and fuel burn. In the future, it is expected that central flow management will become more widely implemented, especially in regions where congestion is severe.

A slot is a designated time for an aircraft to take off or land at an airport. Airlines can purchase slots at a discounted rate, and are given priority over other airlines for the same period. Having more than one slot allows an airline to schedule flights to and from the same airport at the same time, increasing its efficiency. The number of slots available is limited by airport capacity and runway capacity. Some slots are more valuable than others, and can be sold for a significant amount of money. The most sought-after slots are those that permit the earliest possible takeoff time for an airplane, while others offer greater flexibility. For example, some slots are only valid for domestic flights, while others allow international or domestic-to-international flights. Other slots are reserved for particular types of aircraft, or for airlines with good safety records. A slot may be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis, or it might be limited to certain days of the week or specific hours.