2.1.2 - Describe primary memory.

Question 1

What type of memory is directly accessible by the CPU?

Answer 1

Primary memory is the only storage that is directly accessible by the CPU.

Question 2

What does the primary memory hold at any point in time?

Answer 2

The primary memory may hold both data and instructions that are currently running on the computer system.

Question 3

What does RAM stand for?

Answer 3

RAM stands for random access memory.

Question 4

What does ROM stand for?

Answer 4

ROM stands for read only memory.

Question 5

What are 4 similarities between RAM and ROM?

Answer 5

1. Both are types of main memory
2. Directly accessible by the CPU
3. Stores instructions for the CPU to execute
4. Faster to access than secondary storage

Question 6

What are 3 differences between RAM and ROM?

Answer 6

1. ROM is read only, but RAM is read and write
2. RAM stores instructions and data ready for the CPU to access and execute, whereas ROM stores permanent instructions that tell a computer how to ‘boot up’ (also known as the bootstrap)
3. RAM is volatile, but ROM is non volatile