Sequential access is a method of reading or writing data where information is accessed in a specific order, one piece after another. This means that to reach a particular item, you must go through all the preceding items in the sequence. This approach is commonly used in devices like tape drives and magnetic tapes, where data is stored linearly. In contrast to random access, where any item can be accessed directly, sequential access can be slower for large datasets. However, it is often more efficient for tasks that require processing data in a linear fashion, such as streaming audio or video playback.