Memory and Storage 1.2

Question 1

Is RAM volatile, define volatile

Answer 1

Yes, temporary memory requires power to retain its data

Question 2

Compare RAM to cache and secondary storage

Answer 2

RAM is slower the Cache, but way faster than secondary storage

Question 3

When may virtual memory be needed

Answer 3

When there are too many applications open at once/ if there is a memory-intensive application being used

Question 4

What is the purpose of RAM

Answer 4

Stores data/files/programs while they are in use by the computer system

Question 5

What is the purpose of ROM

Answer 5

Holds all the instructions(BIOS) a computer needs to properly boot up

Question 6

Difference between RAM and ROM ( 4 marks)

Answer 6

RAM - volatile - data stored in RAM lost when power turned off
ROM - non volatile - data is retained instead
RAM - can be read/written from
ROM - generally read only

Question 7

Disadvantage of Virtual memory

Answer 7

When the computer needs to read data stored in the virtual memory it has to be transferred back to the RAM, this slows the PC down

Question 8

Difference between primary and secondary storage ( 4 marks)

Answer 8

Primary storage: memory in a computer that stores data that is currently in use
Secondary storage: memory in a computer that stores data that is not currently in use
Primary storage - mostly volatile - data is lost when power is off
Secondary storage - non-volatile - data is retained when power is turned of

Question 9

Give two optical, magnetic, solid state storage devices

Answer 9

Optical: CD DVD
Magnetic: Floppy Disk Hard Drive
Solid State: USB Drive SD card

Question 10

Advantages of Optical discs

Answer 10

Very cheap per GB to manufacture
Portable
Difficult to damage with water or shock

Question 11

Disadvantages of Optical discs

Answer 11

Scratch very easily, causes data loss
Modern devices do not have optical drives
Flash memory has faster speeds

Question 12

Advantages of HDD

Answer 12

Portable
Long lasting
Reliable

Question 13

Disadvantages of HDD

Answer 13

Prone to damage from impact
Expensive
Noisy

Question 14

What are SSD’s

Answer 14

Storage devices which use flash memory to store files and are used as secondary storage

Question 15

Advantages of SSD over HDD

Answer 15

SSD significantly faster read/write speeds than HDD’s
SSD are more shock proof than HDD
HDD make more noise, SSD silent

Question 16

Advantages of HDD over SSD

Answer 16

HDD is cheaper
Both have high capacity but HDDs are higher

Question 17

Features of SD

Answer 17

Slower than SSD
Much slower read/write life
Used to expand storage capacity
Capacity is very high for their tiny size

Question 18

Two functions of the BIOS

Answer 18

Power on Self-Test
Load operating system into memory

Question 19

Explain why secondary storage is needed in addition to RAM

Answer 19

In case RAM gets full and data needs to be stored in the virtual memory