Random+Access+Memory+(RAM)

=Random Access Memory (RAM)=

Modern computer processors can perform several billion operations per second, creating and changing incredible amounts of data in a short period of time. To perform at this level, they have to be able to juggle the information they process and have someplace to store it until it is needed again for modification or reference. As a metaphor, the more jobs a technician takes on at once, the more bench space they are going to need to place the components they are assembling, and the more shelf space they will need to place the finished products. Similarly, computers need space to store data while they are working on it, and space to store data that is not being worked on, but will be needed in the future. This is provided by RAM (Random Access Memory) and hard disk drives respectively.

The term RAM is often simply referred to as memory. RAM is the memory available for programs on a computer to function. For example, a computer with 8MB of RAM has about 8 million bytes of memory available for programs to use. The amount of RAM a computer has impacts the speed at which computers can perform operations and run programs. RAM provides space for computers to read and write data to be accessed by the CPU (central processing unit). When people refer to a computer's memory, they usually mean its RAM. RAM can be added to computers to reduce the number of times the CPU must read data from the hard disk, thus allowing the computer to operate at a faster speed. The more available memory you have, the faster your computer can work! = =

For sources and more information see: [|HowStuffWorks] [|webopedia] [|Knowledge Base]

Defined By: Jen Goldberg
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