Memory

Question 1

What are the two types of storage?

Answer 1

Primary Storage - RAM , ROM

Secondary Storage - Magnetic, Optical, Solid State

Question 2

What are the properties of ROM?

Answer 2

It is read only meaning it cannot be changed.
Responsible for BIOS.
It is non-volatile (never loses its contents).
Is expensive per unit of storage.

Question 3

What are the properties of RAM?

Answer 3

It is volatile - all data is lost after computer is turned off.
Random access- any part of the computers data can be accessed.
Typically faster than secondary storage.
Is expensive per unit of storage.

Question 4

What is the BIOS?

Answer 4

The Basic Input Output System.
Stored in ROM.
Usually loads an operating system and checks the system for errors.

Question 5

What are 3 flash memory devices?

Answer 5

ROM chips.
Solid State Drives.
Secure Digital (SD) Cards.

Question 6

What are 4 properties of flash memory?

Answer 6

Fast access.
Robust.
Non-volatile.
Short Lifetime - Can only be rewritten so many times.
High capacity (for their physical size).

Question 7

What is flash memory?

Answer 7

It’s type of memory technology used to create primary or secondary storage.

Question 8

What is virtual memory?

Answer 8

It is a technique where secondary storage is used as if it were RAM when there is a limited amount of space.

Question 9

What are 2 issues with virtual memory?

Answer 9

It can damage the health of SSDs.
It can hinder performance.
There might be limited space in secondary storage.

Question 10

How does virtual memory use “paging”?

Answer 10

Memory in RAM is split into pages.
These are then transferred to virtual memory when not being used.
Then when they are required again they are transferred back to the RAM for use.

Question 11

A “page” will only be transferred to virtual memory if:

Answer 11

There is space in secondary storage.
The RAM is full.
The page is not being used.