computer memory 101

8/8/2019 Computer Memory 101

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Computers and

memoryfrom www.jenepting.com


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Computers are a lotlike brains.


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Computers have

memory.Brains have memory.


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But computers dontremember things like

3rd grade teachers.


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Their memories

handle moretechnical things.


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Like all the filesyouve ever saved.


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Or how to start up.


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There are many typesof memory in

computers, but letsfocus on the three main

types:


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1. Disk memory

2. RAM (Random AccessMemory)

3. CPU Registers


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Disk Memory


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Another way to sayDisk Memory is

Hard Drive.

Youve heard of that!


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You may back up your

computer on a Hard Driveor remember seeing it in

your Finder.


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The Hard Drive is

where all your savedfiles live.

mynovel.doc

taxes.xls

presentation.ppt

MY HARD DRIVE

shoppinglist.txt

dogs.gif

finisheddesigns.psd


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Its also where all theprograms on your

computer are stored.


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Hard Drives have limited

space, so installing manyprograms may make it

slow.


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Luckily, you can get a

larger Hard Drive if youneed it.


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RAM(Random Access

Memory)


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s ow your compu ersaves information in theshort-term... but RAM

doesnt remember past areboot.


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A good example is how

your computer remembersthe placement of windows

on your screen.


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You probably know

that you can buy moreRAM for your

computer... but whywould you need to?


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More RAM allows

you to run moreprograms at the

same time.


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Or at least makes it

faster to do so.


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Lets say you open

Microsoft Word.


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saved your

document, itscontents are

saved in RAM(the

computersshort-term


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You can officially save the

document to your HardDrive, which makes it long

term.mynovel.doc

taxes.xls

presentation.ppt

MY HARD DRIVE

shoppinglist.txt

dogs.gif

finisheddesigns.psd

businessstuff.doc


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That way youll always

have your document,even if you reboot your

computer.mynovel.doc

taxes.xls

presentation.ppt

MY HARD DRIVE

shoppinglist.txt

dogs.gif

finisheddesigns.psd

businessstuff.doc


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Pretty easy, right?


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CPU Registers


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The last kind of basicmemory is CPU

Registers.


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I know that soundsintense.


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But its actually super-

easy to understand...almost so easy that its

hard!


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Imagine your friend

asks you to calculatethe price of two

items.

+=??


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The first item

costs $.89, hesays.

$.89


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A minute later, hesays The second

item costs $1

.09.

$1.09


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You have to figureout the total.

+=??$.89 $1.09


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I bet you didnt noticeit, but in the time it

took him to tell youthe second items

cost, you relied onyour memory!


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You had to remember$.89 for a whole minute.

$.89


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This kind of memory(which feels uber-

short-term) incomputers is called

CPU Registers.


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Again, youd neverhave to upgrade this

kind of memory. Itsjust another kind of

memory yourcomputer needs.


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So, to recap:

Disk Memory holds all the files and programsthat make your computer who it is.

RAM helps the computer do many things at thesame time, and it saves the short-term versionof files.

The CPU Registers help your computerremember what it has to do!


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ow youre a

computer memoryexpert!

computer memory 101

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