Secondary Storage

Question 1

What is secondary storage

Answer 1

Secondary storage is non-volatile, long-term storage. It is used to keep programs and data indefinitely. Without secondary storage all programs and data would be lost the moment the computer is switched off.

Question 2

What are types of secondary storage?

Answer 2

Magnetic, Optical and Solid State

Question 3

What is a magnetic storage

Answer 3

Magnetic devices such as
hard disk drives use magnetic fields to magnetise tiny individual sections of a metal spinning disk.

Question 4

Whats an Optical device?

Answer 4

Optical devices use a laser to scan the surface of a spinning disc made from metal and plastic.

Question 5

Whats a solid state device?

Answer 5

Solid state devices use
non-volatile random access memory (RAM) to store data indefinitely. They tend to have much faster access times than other types of device and, because they have no moving parts, are more durable.