Primary Storage (RAM & ROM)

Question 1

What are examples of Primary Storage

Answer 1

RAM & ROM

Question 2

What are examples of Secondary Storage

Answer 2

HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
SSD (Solid State Drive)
Offline secondary storage 
CD (Compact Disk)
DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) 
Blu-ray 
USB Flash Memory 
Removable HDD 
Magnetic Tape

Question 3

What does Solid State Media mean

Answer 3

Storage with no moving parts
Removable storage with no moving parts
Devices that use flash memory

Question 4

Name characteristics of Secondary Storage

Answer 4

. Non-Volatile
. Programs and Data are stored on Hard Disk
. CD’s can be used to distribute software, music e-books etc.
. Memory sticks may be used to transport data from one place to another
. Magnetic Tape or External Hard Drives may be used for backup storage

Question 5

What is Secondary Storage used for

Answer 5

Long-Term, Permanent, Non-Volatile Storage

Data is transferred from Secondary - RAM - Cache - CPU

Question 6

Why is Secondary Storage Important

Answer 6

. Stores Data for long periods of time 
. Robust and Reliable 
. Much cheaper per MB than Main Memory 
. More capacity 
. Portable 
. Used to back up data stored in main memory/ primary storage
. Stores programs/data that would be lost when power is switched off (Volatile)
. Need for larger storage capacity

Question 7

What are the 3 types of Optical Storage

Answer 7

Solid State, Optical, Magnetic

Question 8

What is Optical Storage

Answer 8

Secondary Storage that uses lasers to read and write data on a reflective surface. Small in capacity but cheap to produce. Utilizes discs with a reflective surface to store data

Question 9

What are the 3 Optical Disk formats

Answer 9

Read-Only
Write Once
Rewritable

Question 10

Advantages of Optical Storage

Answer 10

Cheap for Small capacities
Very small and portable
last a long time

Question 11

Disadvantages of optical Storage

Answer 11

Expensive for large capacities
Easily scratched
Slow read speeds
Limited reusability

Question 12

What is Magnetic Storage

Answer 12

Secondary Storage that stores data in series as polarized dots.
Polarity of the dot (positive or negative) determines whether it stores a 1 or 0.
These devices come in very large capacities and are generally inexpensive.
Uses discs to store data, these platters are covered in a special material.
Sections of this material can be magnetized and demagnetized to represent data.
Read/ write head attached to an arm applies a magnetic field to specific sections to read / write

Question 13

What are the two pieces of equipment Magnetic Storage uses

Answer 13

A set of discs (Platters)

An arm with a read/write head

Question 14

How does magnetic storage write data

Answer 14

The platters spin and the read/write head will magnetize and demagnetize the sections underneath it
To read data the head moves over the spinning platters, measuring whether the sections are magnetized or not

Question 15

Advantages of Magnetic Storage

Answer 15

Cheap for large capacities
Infinitely rewritable
Reliable for long periods of time
Faster read speeds than optical

Question 16

Disadvantages of Magnetic Storage

Answer 16

Damaged if dropped or exposed to a magnetic field
Slower read speeds than solid state
Require a lot of power to run

Question 17

How does Solid State work

Answer 17

Solid state storage has no moving parts, they store data inside electronic circuits which can be sat to a 0 or a 1. These devices are much smaller than magnetic devices. They have a large capacity but are more expensive. This type is also called flash memory. They are non-volatile

Question 18

What are the characteristics of solid-state storage

Answer 18

No moving parts to read or write data 
A collection of circuits wired together to store binary data 
The collection of circuits are wired to form a grid
Fast read and write speeds 
Still slower than RAM 
Is durable 
can withstand being dropped 
Is silent when running 
Require less power than other devices

Question 19

Disadvantages of solid state

Answer 19

Expensive cost per MB
Typically a lower capacity than Hard Drives
Can be unreliable

Question 20

Advantages of Solid State

Answer 20

Fast
Lightweight
Durable 
Low Power 
Silent