Computer Memory

BANKYS PRIVATE SCHOOL
PLOT C10/123 WUMBA DISTRICT, ABUJA.
LESSON NOTE
WEEK 2 TOPIC: MEMORY UNIT I DATE___________

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: during/at the end of this lesson, the pupils/students should be enabled to:
1. Highlight the types of memory
2. Describe primary and secondary memory
3. State the differences between primary and secondary memory
DEFINITION: A computer memory is the storage device or location where information can be stored,
erased and retrieved. It is the physical device used to store data and programs (set of instructions)
temporarily or permanently.
TYPES OF MEMORY: There are basically two major types of memory, which includes:
1. Primary memory/main memory/internal memory
2. Secondary memory/auxiliary memory/external memory
PRIMARY MEMORY: Primary memory is the memory that can be directly accessed by the CPU,
the CPU constantly interact with it, reads instructions stored there and executes them as
required. A computer cannot run without the primary memory. The primary memory is divided
into two:
Random Access Memory (RAM): The RAM is the volatile memory that temporarily stores data
and instruction currently being used by the computer. It is called volatile because the content
of it disappears when the computer is turned off or there is loss of power supply. It is read and
write memory. It provides the data and programs to the processor so that it can process the
data on the basis of given set of instructions. It is also referred to as the working memory
because it holds only those data and instruction on which the processor is currently working on
Read Only Memory (ROM): Read Only Memory is a special type of memory which can only be
read and contents of which are not lost even when the computer is switched off or if there is a
power cut. It typically contains manufacturer’s instructions, i.e., it stores special program called
BIOS (Basic Input Output System). BIOS is the programs (set of instructions) required to start
the computer. Whenever you turn on/restart the computer, the very first program that starts is
the BIOS (stored in ROM). The job of the BIOS is to execute POST operation (Power On Self
Test). POST checks whether all the required hardware is present or not? And all the hardware
attached, is working properly or not. ROM is read only, we can only read but can not easily
change/update the contents.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RAM AND ROM
S/N RAM ROM
1. It is volatile (It loses data when power is It is non-volatile (retains data even when
turned off) power is off)
2 RAM is fast ROM memory is extremely fast compared

. to RAM
3. Data in RAM can be changed or deleted ROM is fixed or data cannot be modified.
4. RAM chip are bigger in size ROM chip are smaller in size
5. RAM chips are relatively expensive ROM chips are relatively less expensive
RAM stores all the applications and data ROM usually stores instructions that are
when the computer is running required for booting the computer
SECONDARY MEMORY: This is the permanent, non-volatile memory that is not directly
accessed by the processor. Before the content of the secondary memory can be used by the
processor, it must be copied into the RAM. It has the capacity to store huge amount of data.
The secondary storage is the slowest and cheapest form of memory. Examples of secondary
storage include Hard Disk (Local Disk), Optical disk (CD, DVD), Floppy Disk, USB flash drive,
memory card etc. Computer may run without secondary memory.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY MEMORY

Primary Secondary
It is the internal memory It is the external memory
It is under the direct control of the CPU It is not directly under the control of the CPU
It cannot be used for massive data It can be used for massive data storage
storage
It is faster than the secondary storage It is slower than the primary storage
They are temporary (Volatile) They are permanent (Non-volatile)
DVD - Digital Versatile Disk

CD-RW - Compact Disc Rewritable
CD-ROM - Compact Disc Read Only Memory
Hard disk: Largest in capacity
MEMORY UNIT II
The storage capacity is the amount of space available for the storage of data in a particular storage
media. The storage unit includes:
∙ BITS: a bit is a contraction of the word “binary digit” and is denoted with either 1 or 0. A bit is the
simplest unit of data storage.
∙ NIBBLE: a nibble is a collection of 4 bits
∙ BYTE: a byte is a collection of 8 bits arranged in a particular sequence. Each sequence represents a single
character, symbol, digit, or letter. A byte forms the basic unit that is used to measure the storage capacity of
a storage device.
∙ WORD: a word is 2 bytes
∙ KILOBYTE: a kilobyte is equal to 1024 bytes (1000 bytes approximately)
∙ MEGABYTE: a megabyte is equal to 1024 kilobytes or 1048576 bytes i.e. 1024 bytes (1 million bytes
2
approximately)
∙ GIGABYTE: a gigabyte is equal to 1024 megabytes or 1073741824bytes i.e. 1024 bytes (1 billion bytes
3
approximately). Most computers today have hard disks with large capacities that are measured in gigabytes.
A GB denotes a huge storage capacity. E.g. a video film stored on a computer can occupy more than 1 GB of
space.
∙ TERABYTE: a terabyte is equal to 1024 GB or 1099511627776 bytes i.e. 1024 bytes (1 trillion bytes
4
approximately). Storage devices having capacities in terabytes are generally used by organizations that need to store
large volumes of data.
CONVERSION FROM ONE UNIT OF STORAGE TO ANOTHER

1. Convert 64 bits to byte
Solution: 8 bits make 1 byte
1 bit makes 1/8 byte
64 bits make 1/8 x 64 = 8 bytes
2. Convert 16384 bits to byte and kilobyte

Solution: a. 8 bits = 1 byte
1 bit = 1/8 byte
16384 bits = 1/8 x 16384
= 2048 bytes
b. 1024 bytes = 1 KB
1 byte = 1/1024 KB
2048 bytes = 1/1024 x 2048
= 2KB
EVALUATION:
1. Change 15000 bytes into kilobytes
2. Change 7500000 bytes into megabytes
3. Change 28 gigabytes into megabytes

Computer Memory

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BANKYS PRIVATE SCHOOL

PLOT C10/123 WUMBA DISTRICT, ABUJA.

WEEK 2 TOPIC: MEMORY UNIT I DATE___________

1. Highlight the types of memory

2. Describe primary and secondary memory

3. State the differences between primary and secondary memory

2 RAM is fast ROM memory is extremely fast compared

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY MEMORY

DVD - Digital Versatile Disk

∙ WORD: a word is 2 bytes

∙ KILOBYTE: a kilobyte is equal to 1024 bytes (1000 bytes approximately)

CONVERSION FROM ONE UNIT OF STORAGE TO ANOTHER

2. Convert 16384 bits to byte and kilobyte

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