Mr W:end of half term storage and memory test, 23/10/2023 Flashcards

1
Q

What is another way of saying Primary Memory?

A

Main Memory

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2
Q

What makes up primary memory?

A

ROM and RAM

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3
Q

(True/False): The ROM contains the Operating System (OS) of the computer

A

False! It contains the bootstrap loader, which tells the computer where the OS is on the hard disk and how to start it.

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4
Q

What are the instructions on the ROM called?

A

Firmware

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5
Q

What else does the ROM store?

A

The BIOS (Basic Input and Output System)

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6
Q

(True/False): The RAM is the fastest way of storing and accessing data

A

False! The CPU Cache is much closer to the CPU and thus much faster.

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7
Q

What are some examples of secondary storage?

A

Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Drive (SSD), SD Cards, CD/DVD, USB drive, Floppy Disk.

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8
Q

(True/False): The CPU is unable to access secondary storage.

A

True! The CPU needs to communicate with RAM to get data from secondary storage.

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9
Q

How is Magnetic Storage (e.g. HDD) edited?

A

Using Electromagnets to flip the polarity of magnets on the disk, where the polarity of the magnet can be a 0 or 1.

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10
Q

What are the Benefits of Magnetic Storage?

A

Large capacity (Most modern computers have 1TB of HDD), Fast to access compared to other secondary storage types.

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11
Q

What are the Downsides of Magnetic Storage?

A

Not very robust (easily damaged), Life Span of only 4-5 years.

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12
Q

How is Optical Storage (e.g. CDs) read?

A

Optical storage disks will have Pits (grooves) and lands (bits w/o grooves) that will thus reflect light differently, depending on how the light reflects back, that area is a 1 or 0

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13
Q

What are the Benefits of Optical Storage

A

Quite Fast

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14
Q

What are the Downsides of Optical Storage?

A

Not much storage.

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15
Q

What are the Benefits of Flash Storage (e.g. SSD) ?

A

Highly Durable, no moving parts, very fast read/write speeds, nearly silent, faster startup times, typical SSD has 100GB-16TB storage

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16
Q

What are the Downsides of Flash Storage?

A

more cost than HDD for the amount of storage that you get, max number of 10-100 thousand reads/writes per cell (That’s not much if you edit documents a lot).

17
Q

What metrics can we use to measure and judge storage methods?

A

Capacity/how many bits can be stored, speed/time taken to access data, Portablity/size and how easy it is to move, Durability/how easy is it to break, Reliability/how long will it last, cost/£