About Lesson
Memory is an essential part of computer organization, and the system’s performance is highly dependent on how memory is structured and managed.
4.1 Primary Memory
- Primary memory, or RAM, is the main working memory of a computer. It stores data and instructions that are currently being processed by the CPU. RAM is volatile, meaning it loses its contents when the power is turned off.
4.2 Secondary Memory
- Secondary memory refers to storage devices like hard drives, SSDs, and optical discs, which provide long-term storage for data. Unlike RAM, secondary memory is non-volatile and retains data even when the computer is powered off.
4.3 Memory Hierarchy
- Memory hierarchy refers to the arrangement of different types of memory, from fastest (registers) to slowest (secondary storage). The idea is to use faster, smaller memories (like cache and RAM) to store frequently accessed data and slower, larger memories (like hard drives) for long-term storage.
4.4 Virtual Memory
- Virtual memory allows a computer to use a portion of secondary storage as though it were part of primary memory. This expands the effective memory capacity, allowing for larger programs to run than would otherwise be possible with the physical RAM alone.