Chapter Computer Memory ‘The computer memory is one of the most important elements in a computer system as computer cannot process any task without it. It can be internal or an external storage area, which holds the data and instructions needed to process data in the form of binary numbers. Ikalso relates to many devices and components that are responsible for storing data and applications on a temporary or a permanent basis. Computer memory can be classified into two types : 1.Primary memory _2. Secondary memory Primary Memory Itusually refers to the chips or modules directly connected to motherboard. It is also known as main ‘memory. Itis the internal storage memory used by computer to hold data and instructions. The primary memory has limited storage capacity. Primary memory holds the data and programs needed at that instant by CPU. Its faster but a volatile storage. There are two types of primary memory as follows : 1, RAM (Random Access Memory) Itis the internal memory that can be read from as well as, written to. This memory is often associated with volatile types of memory. It can hold data only on temporary basis because it requires a continuous flow of electrical current. If current is interrupted, data is lost: Itis an integrated circuit that enables you to access the stored data in a random order constantly. A framebuffer is a portion of RAM containing a bitmap that is used to refresh a video display from a memory buffer containing a complete frame of data. The two main forms of RAM are as follows : (i) Static RAM _Itis also written as SRAM. It is a computer memory that requires a constant power flow in order to hold information. SRAM is more expensive and requires more power therefore it is ‘commonly used in cache and video card memory. It is faster than DRAM. (ii) Dynamic RAM Its also written as DRAM. It stores information in a cell containing a capacitor and transistor, these cells must be refreshed with electric impulses in few milliseconds. This process allows memory to keep charge and hold the data as, long as needed. 2. ROM (Read Only Memory) In ROM information once stored remain fixed, ie. it cannot be changed. So, ROM can only be read and used. Generally, it contains a set of start-up instructions, i, what to do when a computer is turned ON. The contents of ROM remain stored even if power is turned OFF. This memory is often associated with non-volatile types of memory. A ROM cannot be altered ‘once the chip has been made. ROM is further sub divided into several types as follows () PROM (Programmable ROM) It is a computer ‘memory chip capable of being programmed after it has been created. But once the PROM has been programmed, the information written is permanent and cannot be erased or deleted. (ii) EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM) It is a ‘computer memory chip on which the written information can be changed by exposing to ultra violet light. It is just like a small glass circle that exposes the chip that can be reprogrammed. (iii) EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM) Itis a PROM that can be erased and reprogrammed using an electrical charge. Secondary Memory Secondary memory also known as auxiliary memory, is the slower and cheaper form of memory. Itis a permanent storage device that is used to store large) amount of data and information. CPU does not access the secondary memory directly. The content in it must first be copied into the RAM to be processed. Secondary ‘memory is non-volatile in nature, ie,, the information does not get erased even when power is switched OFF and data will not be destructed until and unless the user erases it, Secondary Memory Devices ‘Magnetic Disks Optical Solid State Floppy Dis o Hard Disk Dive DVD aa Magnetic Tape Bluray Dise 4. Floppy Disk (Diskette) A Floppy Disk Drive (FDD) is a computer disk drive that enables a user to save data on removable diskettes. This portable storage device is a rewritable media and can be reused a number of times. It is made of plastic with. ‘magnetic coating on it. It is round in shape and is covered by square plastic jacket. Floppy disks are commonly used to move files between different computers. Although 8” disk drives made available in 1971 were the first real disk drives, the first widely used floppy disk drives were the 4",5 floppy disk drives, which were later replaced with af floppy disk drives. However, today these drives are being replaced with CD-ROM and other writable disks drives and flash drives. 2. Hard Disk Drive A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is a non-volatile random access digital data storage device. It is a data storage device used for storing and retrieving digital information, using rotating disks a (platters) coated with magnetic material. Alll programs of a computer are installed in hard disk within a particular drive. It consists of a spindle that holds non-magnetic flat circular disks, called platters, which hold the recorded data. Each platter requires two read/write heads, that is used to write and read the information from a platter. Hard disk drive Prep Guide MAH-MCA CET All the read/write heads are attached to a single access arm so (Seco that they cannot move independently. ‘The information is, recotded in bands, each band of information is called a track. Each platter has the same number of tracks and a track location that cuts across all, platters is called a cylinder. The tracks are divided into pie-shaped sections known as sectors. ‘Tracks and sectors 3. Magnetic Tape Itis a storage medium ona large open reel or ina smaller cartridge or cassette (like a music cassette) made up ofa magnetic material. It is used for those applications that are based on sequential data processing, ie, itis a sequential data access medium. Due to this (sequential data access) nature, these tapes are not suitable for data files that need to be revised or updated often. They are generally used to store backup data or that type of data, which is not frequently used or to transfer data from one system to another. 4. Optical Disk It isa laser-based storage medium that can be written to and read from using a low-powered laser beam. It is reasonably priced and has a long lifespan. It can be taken out of the computer by users. 5, Compact Disc (CD-ROM) Dis an optical media that is used to store digital data. ‘The compact discs are relatively cheap storage devices. ‘The most common storage capacity of CD is 700 MB. Compact dse is categorised into three main types as follows: () CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory) CD-R (Computer Disc-Recordable) }) CD-RW (Compact Dise-Rewritable) ( 5. Digital Video Disc (DVD) DVD is also known as Super Density (SD) disc. A DVD is an optical disc storage media manufactured for the first time by Philips, Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic in 1995, DVDS offer higher storage capacity than CDs while having the same dimensions. Depending upon the disk type, DVD can store several gigabytes of data (4.7 GB- 17.08 GB). DVDs are primarily used to store music or movies and can be played back on your television or on the computer too.Computer Concepts Computer Memory 7. Blu-ray Disc (BD) isan optical disc storage medium designed to recapture thedata normally in DVD format. Blu-ray discs contain 25Gb (23.31 GB) per layer space. ‘Thename blu-ray disc refers to the blue laser used to read the disc, which allows information to be stored at a greater density. Blu-ray can hold almost 5 times more data than a single layer DVD. The variations in the formats are a follows : (i) BD-ROM (Read only) for pre-recorded content (i) BD-R (Recordable) for PC data storage (ii) BD-RW (Rewritable) for PC data storage (iv) BD-RE (Recordable) for HDTV recording There is also been the recent roll out of the BDXL format, which increases that capacity to 128 GB. 8. Pen/Flash/Thumb Drive A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory (USB memory /key memory) with an integrated, Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable, rewritable and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. A USB flash drive, data stick, thumb drive and a pen drive is a portable drive that is same as the size of your thumb that connects to the computer USB port. Today, flash drives are available in various storage capacities as 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 4 GB, 16 GB and 64 GB,512 GB, etc. Flash drives are widely used as an easy and small medium to transfer and store the information from the computers. Cache Memory Cache (pronounced cash) memory is extremely fast memory that is built into a computer's central processing unit, oF located next to it on a separate chip. The CPU uses cache memory to store instructions that are repeatedly required to run programs, improving overall system speed. It stores data in temporary use and itis very expensive. Also size is very small. Memory Organisation The memory is organised in the form of a cell, each cell is able to be identified with a unique number called address. Each cell is able to recognise control signals such as ‘read’ and ‘write’ generated, by CPU when it wants to read or write address. Whenever CPU executes the program, there is a need to transfer the instruction from the memory to CPU because the program is available in memory. To access the instruction, CPU generates the memory request. Memory Request ‘The address and control signals are included in the memory request. When inserting data and information into the stack, each block uses memory and the number of memory cells is determined by the memory chip’s capacity. Example, Find the total number of cells in 64K *8 memory chip. Size of each cell =8 ‘The number of bytes present in 64 K =(2/ 6) * (2 10) Thus, Total number of cells =2 16 Along with the total number of cells, the total number of address lines that are needed to enable any cell can be determined. Word Size Itrefers to the maximum amount of bits a CPU can handle at one time and it fluctuates by the processor. The hardware or the instruction set of a processor handles a fixed amount of data as a unit called word size. Word size varies as per the processor architecture because of generation and the present technology, it could be low as 4-bits or high as 64 bits depending on what a particular processor can handle. Word size is used for a number of concepts like Addresses, Registers, Fixed-point numbers, Floating point numbers. Memory Unit bit Corl B 8 Kibit_ 1024 bits bi 1000 bi Kibibyte (binary) KiB 1024 bytes Kilobyte (decimal) kB abit mebibyte (binary) me; rte (decimal) MB 1000 kiloby rigabit Gbit 1000 bits ibibyte (binary) GB 1024 mebibytes gigabyte (decimal) GB 1000 megabytes terabit Toit 1000 gigabits “tebibyte (binary) TB 1024 gibibytes terabyte (decimal) TB 1000 abytes petabit ~Poit 1000 terabits pebibyte (binary) PB 1024 tebibytes ‘petabyte (decimal) PB 1000 teraby me exabit Ebit 1000 petabits exbibyte (binary) BiB 1024 pebibytes exabyte (decimal) EB 1000 petabytesEXERCISES 4 Chapter Challenges sscssee Stores data and instructions required during the processing of data and output results. (@) Memory () Architecture (© Input (2) Output 2. Which of the following is a correct defi volatile memory? {a) It does retain its contents at high temperature (&) It is to be kept in air-tight box (©) It loses its content on failure of power supply (@) It does not lose its content on failure of power supply 3. Cache and main memory will not be able to hold their contents when the power is OFF. They are ition of (@) dynamic () static (©) volatile (@) non-volatile 4, ceeseseene memory in a computer is where information is temporarily stored while it is being accessed or worked on by the processor. (2) Logical (b) Secondary (ROM (@) RAM 5. Which of the following is not true about RAM? (a) RAM is the same as hard disk storage () RAM is a temporary storage area (©) RAM is volatile (@) RAM is a primary memory Virtual memory allocates hard disk space to supplement the immediate, functional memory capacity of (a) ROM (&) EPROM (6) the registers (4) RAM 7. Permanent instructions that the computer use when it is turned ON and that cannot be changed by other instructions are contained in (2) ROM (b) RAM (©) ALU (a) SRAM 8 When you first turn on a computer, the CPU is preset to execute instructions stored in the (@) RAM (b) flash memory (© ROM (@) CD-ROM 9. A disc’s content that is recorded at the time of manufacture and cannot be changed or erased by the user is (a) memory only (b) write only (©) once only (d) read only 10. Which of the following is a very high speed semiconductor memory which can speed up the cpu? (a) Secondary memory _(b) Main memory (©) Primary memory __(d) Cache memory .... is the ability of a device to ‘jump’ directly to the requested data. (a) Sequential access —_(b) Random access (©) Quick access (d) All of these 12. The . is the amount of data that a storage device can move from the storage to the computer per second. {a) data migration rate _(b) data digitising rate (©) data transfer rate (4) data access rate 43, The «ss... indicates how much data a particular storage medium can hold. (@) storage (©) capacity 14, Where do you save the data that, your data will remain intact even when the computer is turned OFF? (@) RAM (b) Motherboard (6) Secondary storage device (d) Primary storage device 45, The term refers to data storage systems that make it possible for a computer or electronic device to store and retrieve data. (a) retrieval technology _(b) input technology (©) output technology —_(d) storage technology 16. Which of the following is/are example(s) of magnetic storage media? (@) Zip disk (©) Floppy disk 1. (b) access (4) memory (b) CD-ROM (@) Both (a) and (c)Computer Concepts Computer Memory @ 47. The thick, rigid metal plotters that are capable of retrieving information at a high rate of speed are known as (@) hard disk () SAN (0) soft disk (q) flash memory 48. The storage device used to compensate for the difference in rates of flow of data from one device to another is termed as (a) chip (b) channel (©) floppy (@) buffer 49, The most common storage device for the personal computer is the {@) floppy disk (b) USB personal computer (©) mainframe (@) a laptop 20, Magnetic tape is not practical for applications where data must be quickly recalled because tape is (@)a random access medium (0) a sequential access medium (©) aread only medium (@) fragile and easily damaged 21. Which of the following are advantages of CD-ROM asa storage media? (@) CD-ROM is an inexpensive way to store large amount of data and information (0) CD-ROM discs retrieve data and information more quickly than magnetic disks do (©) CD-ROMs make less errors than magnetic media (@) All of the above 22, Which media has the ability tohave data/ information stored (written) on them by users more than once? (a) CD-R discs (©) Zip discs (b) CD-RW discs, (@) Optical dises 23, What is the difference between a CD-ROM and CD-RW? @) They are the same—just two different terms used by different manufactures. (b) A CD-ROM can be written to and a CD-RW ~ cannot. (©) Other than those given as options (@) A CD-RW can be written to but a CD-ROM can only be read from. 24, A flat metallic disk that contains a large amount of permanently stored information read optically, is called a (@) monitor (©) CD-ROM (b) ALU (4) RAM 25. Which among the following is another name for a group of 4 bits? {a) Nibble (b) Byte (©) KiloByte (a) MegaByte 26. ..vscvsnes are used to measure both computer memory (RAM) and storage capacity of Floppy disks, CD-ROM drives and Hard drives. (a) Bytes (©) Bits (6) Octal numbers (d) Hexadecimal numbers 27. The refreshing rate of dynamic RAMS is in the range of (@) 30 us (©) 2us (©) 50 us (d) 500 ps 28. Instructions and memory address are represented by (@) character code (0) binary codes (©) binary word (@) parity bit 29, The amount of memory (RAM or ROM) is measured in (a) bytes. (b) bits (©) megabytes (d) megabits 30. A... is approximately one billion bytes. {a) kilobyte (b) bit (©) gigabyte (@) megabyte 31, Which of the following is correct sequence of smallest to largest units of storage size? @) Petabyte, Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte (b) Kilobyte, Megabyte, Terabyte, Petabyte, Gigabyte (©) Megabyte, Terabyte, Gigabyte, Kilobyte, Petabyte (d) Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte, Petabyte (HHDD) is a technology where the conventional disk drive is combined with non-volatile flash memory, of typically 128 MB or more to cache data during normal use. (@) Hyper Hard Disk Drive (b) Hybrid Hard Disk Drive (0) Hybrid Helium Disk Drive (@) Hyper Helium Disk Drive 33, More than one word are put in one cache block to (a) exploit the temporal locality of reference in a program (b) exploit the spatial locality of reference in program (6) reduce the miss penalty (a) None of the above 34, How many 32 K x 1 RAM chips are needed to provide a memory capacity of 256 KB? (a)8 (b) 32 (0) 64 (a) 128A) 2B Previous Years’ Questions (PYOs) Prep Guide MAH-MCA CET 35. One TeraByte (TB) =... GB and 39, One Exabyte is equal to. tama One ExaByte (EB) =. GB om) (a) 1018 Bytes (a) 2°GB, GB (&) 2°GB, GB (b) 1 Zetta Bytes divided (/) by one thousand (©) 2°GB, 24GB (a) 2°GB, 2"GB (0) 1 Peta Bytes multiplied (x) by one thousand (d) All of the above 36. The cache memory is more effective because of a é (a) Memory localisation 0) 40. The memory unit which directly communicates (b) Locality of reference with the CPU is known as 2020) (©) Memory size (a) Primary Memory (@) None of the mentioned (0) Secondary Memory , is (c) Shared Memory 37. Which of the following is the fastest means of {@) Auxiliary Memory memory access for CPU? aon) z {@) Registers (b) Cache 41. Dynamic RAM consumes ......... power and (©) Main memory (d) Stack es than Static RAM. 02m 38. To fetch data from the secondary memory which > Seca one of the following register is used? vom (© Less, Slower (MAR — @)PC (IR (@) MBR (@ Less, Faster s% Count Your Score Chapter Challenges r@}2e@/ao|s4o@]s@]}e@l zo] so | o@ [ue 1%) | & we | 1B © 1. (e) 15. (@) 16. (4) 17. (@) 18. (d) 19. (a) 20. (bo) a @ | 2b) | 2 @ | | 85. O) 26. (a) 27. (b) 28. (b) 20. (6) 30. () a @ | 2m | 3m | © Previous Years’ Questions (PYQs) 3. @ | 6% | 32 | 8 @ | x @ | wow | aw |