Memory and storage *

Question 1

What does primary storage contain?

Answer 1

RAM
ROM
registers
cache

Question 2

What is primary storage used for?

Answer 2

holds the data and instructions which the CPU needs access to while a computer is running

Question 3

Can the CPU access data quicker from primary or secondary storage?

Answer 3

primary

Question 4

What does RAM do?

Answer 4

holds the operating system, programs and data in use by the CPU when the computer is running

Question 5

Is RAM volatile or non-volatile?

Answer 5

volatile

Question 6

Is RAM read and write or read only?

Answer 6

read and write

Question 7

Is RAM larger or smaller?

Answer 7

larger

Question 8

What does ROM do?

Answer 8

• holds the first instructions for when the computer is first turned on (bootstrap)
• programs may be stored in ROM in embedded systems

Question 9

Is ROM volatile or non-volatile?

Answer 9

non-volatile

Question 10

Is ROM read and write or read only?

Answer 10

read only

Question 11

Is ROM larger or smaller?

Answer 11

smaller

Question 12

What does volatile mean?

Answer 12

memory is lost when the power is switched off

Question 13

What does non-volatile mean?

Answer 13

memory remains when the power is switched off

Question 14

How many bits are there in a byte?

Answer 14

8 bits in a byte

Question 15

How many bits in a nibble?

Answer 15

4 bits in a nibble

Question 16

How many nibbles in a byte?

Answer 16

2 nibbles in a byte

Question 17

How many bytes in a kilobyte?

Answer 17

1024 bytes (1000)
thousand bytes

Question 18

How many bytes in a megabyte?

Answer 18

1,000,000 bytes
million bytes

Question 19

How many bytes in a gigabyte?

Answer 19

1,000,000,000 bytes
bilion bytes

Question 20

How many bytes in a terabyte?

Answer 20

1,000,000,000,000 bytes
trillion bytes

Question 21

How do you convert from kilobytes to megabytes to gigabytes etc

Answer 21

multiply by 1000

Question 22

Why is secondary storage needed?

Answer 22

needed because ROM is read only and RAM is volatile

Question 23

What is secondary storage needed for?

Answer 23

• storage of programs and data when the power is turned off
• semi-permanent storage of data that can change
• backup of data files
• archive of data files

Question 24

What are the three common types of storage?

Answer 24

• optical
• magnetic (HDD, tape)
• solid-state (SSD)

Question 25

Give three points about optical storage

Answer 25

- low capacity - slow to access data - thin, lightweight and portable

Question 26

Give four points about magnetic storage

Answer 26

- high storage capacity - quick to access data - has moving parts - performs better if defragmented

Question 27

Give eight points about solid-state storage

Answer 27

- medium storage capacity - very quick to access data - no moving parts, very reliable - no noise - low power - no need to defragment - limited number of read/write cycles - expensive

Question 27

Give eight points about solid-state storage

Answer 27

- medium storage capacity - very quick to access data - no moving parts, very reliable - no noise - low power - no need to defragment - limited number of read/write cycles - expensive

Question 28

When is virtual memory needed?

Answer 28

needed when there is not enough physical RAM to store open programs

Question 29

Where is virtual memory held?

Answer 29

on the hard disk

Question 30

When are programs transferred out of virtual memory?

Answer 30

when they are not currently executed

Question 31

When are programs transferred back to RAM?

Answer 31

when they are needed

Question 32

What are the six factors needed to decide which device to use given an aoolication?

Answer 32

- capacity - speed - portability - durability - reliability - cost

Question 33

What makes electronic components easier to manufacture, cheaper and more reliable

Answer 33

using just two states to store data