Page 10 - Digicode_AI_class_5
P. 10
When you were a child, you were taught about alphabets and numbers. Do you still remember
it? How? This is because these were stored in your memory. Just like human memory,
computers also have memory to store all the data and instructions for performing various
tasks.
Data and Information
In your daily life, you come across a lot of facts and figures in the form of numbers, images,
etc. These are called data. You can say that a collection of raw and unorganised facts is
known as data. When you organise the data and provide a specific context, it can be called
information.
Memory
The data and instructions that are entered into the computer using input devices are to be
stored inside the memory. There are two types of memory:
1. Primary Memory
2. Secondary Memory
Primary Memory
This is the main memory of the computer. The CPU can directly access this memory. It is
fixed on the motherboard of the computer.
Primary memory is further divided into two types:
1. Random Access Memory (RAM)
2. Read Only Memory (ROM)
Random Access Memory (RAM)
RAM is a temporary memory. The information stored in
this memory is lost when the computer is turned off. That
is why it is also called volatile memory. It stores data and
instructions given by the user and also the results produced by the computer temporarily.
Types of RAM:
1. Dynamic RAM (DRAM): It requires continuous power to refresh the data stored.
2. Static RAM (SRAM): It also requires constant power to hold on to data, but it does not
need to be continuously refreshed the way DRAM does.
However, SRAM is significantly faster and uses less power than DRAM.
Read Only Memory (ROM)
Information stored in ROM is permanent in nature, that is, it holds the data
even if the system is switched off. It holds the starting instructions that
are required to start a computer. It is also called non-volatile memory.
8 DigiCode AI-V

