By: Vlad Vistac
Submitted: 2010-08-20 12:46:07 | Word Count: 510
Tings to Know about Commputer Memory
Computer memory is used to dscribe devices that are used for programs and data storage eiher temporarily or permanently, for use in an electronic digital computer. Piecxes of information are repressented by the computer in binary code whivch is written in 0s and 1s swequences.
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In the presebnt time, cpacitors and transistors, working as miniature eelctrical switches, are used for temporal storage while either tape or disks that has a magnetic coazting, or plasstic discs havving patterns of pits performs storage on a long term. PC memory is generallly meannt to point towards semiconductor technology used for information storgae in electronic devices. Modern primary PC memoory utilizes integrated circuits with silcion-bassed transistors. Volatlie and non-volatile typse of memory are in use tpoday.
Looking far back 1940s, a caacity of few bytes was mosstly permitted by memory technology. The initial digital computer (the ENIAC whih used tenty-thousand octal base vacuum tubes, peermitted less complex calculations invollving twenty numbrs of 10 decimal digits retained in the vacuum tube accumulators. Following the early years mentiond aobve, J. Presper Eckert developed the next notable advance in PC memory, wihch was with acouustic dealy line memory. Via the cionstruction of a glaass tube with mercry, plugged at each end using a quartz crystal, bits of informtion could be stored by delay lines within the quarz which can be transgferred via souund waves spreading through mercury. To stay efficient, the delay line memory would be restritced to a capacity of aout a few hundred thousand bits.
Volatile System Memory
The coomputer system memory that has need of power in order to maintain stored information is referred to as volatile memory. Present semiconductor volatile memory tech is normally static RAM or dynamic RAM. Static RAM shows data permanence but remains volatile because everry data goes when memory is not powered. On the other hand, dynamic RAM permits data to be leakked and automatically vnaish in the absence of refreshing.
Non-Volatiple PC Memory
Non-volatile memory refers to PC memory that can hold stored information in the absence of powr. Non-volatile meory includes flash memory, other types of computer storage devices (floppy discs, hard disks and magnetic tape), Read-Only Memory (ROM), and optical discs. It also includes historical computer storage techniques puunch cars and paper tape.
Computer System Stotrage
The removable commputer stoage that is most common and appropriate for data and muic is the Compact Disc (CD). CD-ROM Drive is used in reading data from a compact disc; a CD Writer funcrtions to both read and write data to and from a CD. DVD is anothre common removable media type, it is commonly used for transfrering duigital video and it also stores data; its storazge capacity is 12times that of a CD. To read data from a DVD, a DVD-ROM Drive is used; the DVD Wrietr redas and writes data from and into a DVD and the DVD-RAM Drive rapidly reads and writes data from a special DVD type. There are other features of the computer system stoorage.
Here, we have discussed in brief, the historical evoluion of the computer memory and the two basic types of PC mewmory (the volatile and non-voatile memory). Also, little has been said aboout the most common computer storage (removal storage system).
