3.3 · Lesson 1 of 4
Primary storage: RAM and ROM
Syllabus 3.3.1Syllabus 3.3.4
What this lesson covers
- Describe primary storage, including RAM and ROM
- Explain virtual memory
Key vocabulary
- Bootstrap / bootloader
- The firmware program in ROM that starts the computer and loads the operating system.
- Primary storage
- Storage that is directly accessed by the CPU. Also called main memory. It's made up of RAM and ROM.
- RAM
- Random access memory: stores the programs and data currently in use. It's volatile and can be read from and written to.
- ROM
- Read only memory: stores the start-up instructions (BIOS). It's non-volatile and can't be written to in normal use.
- Volatile
- Loses its data when the power is turned off.
- Non-volatile
- Keeps its data when the power is turned off.
- BIOS
- Basic input output system: the start-up instructions stored in ROM.
- Virtual memory
- Part of secondary storage used as extra RAM when RAM is full. Pages of data are moved between RAM and virtual memory when needed.
Check your learning
- Quick check: 4 questions
- Key vocabulary test: 8 terms
- Activity 1: RAM or ROM? · drag and drop
- Activity 2: RAM and virtual memory · 8 questions
- Activity 3: Primary storage quiz · 8 questions