1.1.3

• Random Access Memory (RAM) is volatile, stores data/programs currently in use and can be written to or read from
• Read-Only Memory (ROM) is non-volatile, used to store the bootstrap loader required at the start-up of a computer and can only be read from
• Primary storage is necessary because reading to and writing from a hard disk is very slow compared to reading to and writing from primary storage
• Virtual memory is used when RAM is full. Data that hasn't been used recently is moved to a location in secondary storage known as virtual memory. If the CPU needs to read data stored in virtual memory, it must move the data back to RAM, so using virtaul memory slows a computer down.
• Data stored in volatile memory is lost when power is off. Data stored in non-volatile memory is not lost when the power turns off.