1.

2 MEMORY and STORAGE

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM) STORAGE CAPACITY
 RAM is the computer’s main memory that holds the data, Some storage methods such as a HDD or SSD have a
programs and files while they are being used. large capacity (they can store lots of data. Other
 RAM is volatile (power off = the data is lost) devices such as CDs and SD cards have smaller
 The CPU will fetch instructions from the RAM in the fetch capacity. Measurements of capacity are shown below:
– decode – execute cycle.
 When the RAM is full the computer uses VIRTUAL MEMORY. It
uses the secondary storage as temporary RAM so that the
computer can continue running (but slowly).

READ ONLY MEMORY (ROM)

 The ROM is on a chip build into the motherboard
 It contains the BIOS (boot up sequence for the computer)
 ROM is non-volatile (data still stored after power is off)

TYPES OF STORAGE
 Secondary Storage: where all data including the programs
are stored when they are not being used.

Storage Key Information

Hard Disk Drive Magnetic, has moving parts, large
EXAM QUESTIONS
(HDD) capacity, lower cost than SSD
Solid State Drive Flash memory, no moving parts, more 1. Explain how the RAM works with the CPU in the
(SSD) robust than HDD, faster and more fetch –decode – execute cycle
expensive than HDD
2. Explain the difference between volatile and non-
Flash memory Eg: USB memory sticks, memory cards.
volatile memory giving an example of each
Optical Storage Eg: CDs, DVDs. Cheap, portable and fairly
robust. 3. Tom is buying a new laptop, he is not sure
Magnetic tape Used for archive storage (back ups). Very whether to get a magnetic HDD or SSD. Discuss
large capacity, low cost, slow. the benefits and drawbacks of each.
1.2 MEMORY and STORAGE CONTINUED
DENARY BINARY ADDITION
Denary is the decimal number system that we are used to. It This binary addition
1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1
uses the numbers 0-9 and the column headings go up in powers gives an overflow error
of 10. + 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 as the total does not fit
100 (Hundreds) 10 (Tens) 1 (Units)
1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 in 8 bits (a byte).
1 1 1 1 1 1
2 3 8
2 lots of 100 3 lots of 10 8 lots of 1
BINARY SHIFT
BINARY
A binary shift to the left multiplies the number by
Binary uses the numbers 0 and 2. The column headings go up 2. A binary shift to the right divides it by 2.
in power of 2: Below is an 8 bit binary number which has been
shifted 2 places to the right.
128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 Original number 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1
0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 Shifted number 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1
64 + 4 + 2 + 1 = 71
CHARACTERS
HEXADECIMAL
Character sets = the characters that are recognised
Hexadecimal uses 0- F (A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, F=15). or represented by a computer system
The headings go up in powers of 16.
16 1 ASCII = Each character is represented by a 7 bit
3 D number with a 0 in front to make it up to a byte.
3 lots of 16 D (13) lots of 1
Extended ASCII = Each character is represented by an
To convert a binary number to Hexadecimal, split into 2: 8 bit binary number. This gives 256 different
128 64 32 16 possibilities.
3* 16 = 48
1 1 0 0 D (13) * 1 = 13 Unicode = Each letter is represented by a 16-bit or
48+13=61 32-bit binary number. This gives at least twice as
8 4 2 1
many character options as ASCII and allows the
1 1 0 0 character set to represent characters and symbols
= C = 7 from all languages.
1.2 MEMORY and STORAGE CONTINUED
IMAGES SOUND
Images are made up of pixels When sound is recorded it is an analogue signal
The colour of each pixel is represented by a binary number (waves). It has to be converted to a digital signal
If an image uses 1 bit to represent each colour then it will so that it can be stored by a computer. This is done
only have 2 colours: by sampling

0 0 1 0 0 This is a 1-bit image Sampling: The amplitude of the wave is measured at

0 0 0 1 0 so it uses 2 colours.
regular intervals which creates a digital
1 1 1 1 1 representation of the wave. If samples are taken more
0 0 0 1 0 0=white and 1=black frequently then you will end up with a more accurate
0 0 1 0 0 sound file but it will be a larger file size.
The analogue wave is smoother
Using more bits allows for more colour options: and shows continuous data. The
10 11 00 11 10 digital sampling shows the
This is a 2-bit images
11 11 00 11 11 amplitude of the wave at
so it uses 4 colours.
00 00 01 00 00 different points.
11 11 00 11 11 00=white, 01=blue,
10 11 00 11 10 10=red, 11=black
COMPRESSION
Colour depth = the number of bits used for each pixel
Compression is used to make file sizes smaller.
Resolution = how many pixels are in a certain space – this Smaller file sizes means that data will be faster to
is measured in “dots per inch”. If there are more dots per send, quicker to download (so webpages will load
inch then there are more pixels in the image so it will have faster) and it will take up less storage space.
a higher resolution and a better picture quality. Lossy Compression: permanently removes some of the
data from a file to make the file size smaller. The
The higher the resolution or the colour depth, the more bits file – eg: an image or sound track – will be a lower
used, so the bigger the file size. quality than the original.
Metadata = the information about the image file that is Lossless Compression: data is temporarily removed
stored within it. This makes sure the file is displayed from the file and then put back together when it is
correctly. It can include: the height, width, colour depth, opened. This is good for program files or documents
resolution and file format as well as the time and date that where you do not want to lose any content but the
the image was created. files can only be made a little bit smaller.