Primary Storage

Question 1

What is primary storage?

Answer 1

Primary storage is internal storage than can be directly accessed by the CPU

Question 2

What happens if storage is volatile?

Answer 2

Volatile means the data is lost whenever the power is turned off: so it is temporary.

Question 3

What happens if storage is non-volatile?

Answer 3

Non-volatile storage retains the data when not being powered, so it can be accessed when the computer is next on and can be stored long-term.

Question 4

What are the four main types of primary storage?

Answer 4

RAM
ROM
Cache memory
Flash memory

Question 5

What is stored in RAM?

Answer 5

Currently Running Programs and the Operating System

Question 6

What is stored in ROM?

Answer 6

Start-Up Instructions

Question 7

What is stored in cache memory?

Answer 7

Copies of data that are frequently accessed

Question 8

What is stored in flash memory?

Answer 8

BIOS (Basic Input / Output System)

Question 9

Is ram volatile or non volatile?

Answer 9

volatile

Question 10

Is ROM volatile or non-volatile?

Answer 10

non-volatile

Question 11

Is Cache memory volatile or non-volatile?

Answer 11

volatile

Question 12

Is flash memory volatile or non-volatile?

Answer 12

non-volatile

Question 13

What is RAM?

Answer 13

RAM is volatile storage used to temporarily store currently running programs. It is made up of a large number of storage locations each identifiable by a unique address.

Question 14

What is ROM?

Answer 14

ROM is used to store the start-up instructions for when the computer is switched on. It is important that these instructions are stored in ROM so they cannot be accidentally changed or the computer won’t start up properly.​

Question 15

What is Cache Memory?

Answer 15

1) Cache memory is volatile storage that temporarily stores data that is frequently accessed.
2) Cache is split into levels - level 1 is within the CPU (known as internal memory) and level 2 and 3 are just outside.
3) Cache memory is very expensive so most computers do not have a lot of it.

Question 16

What is Flash Memory?

Answer 16

Flash memory is non-volatile storage that can be used for storing programs such as the BIOS, which is better than storing it in ROM as the BIOS can be upgraded (and ROM is read-only).