what is the role of ram in computer system
Answers
Explanation:
RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in a computing device where the operating system (OS), application programs and data in current use are kept so they can be quickly reached by the device's processor
Explanation:
Random-access memory (RAM) is a type of computer data storage. A RAM device makes it possible to access data in random order, which makes it very fast to find a specific piece of information. Certain other types of storage are not random-access. For example, a hard disk drive and a CD will read and write data in a predetermined order. The mechanical design of these devices prescribes that data access is consecutive. This means that the time it takes to find a specific piece of information can vary greatly depending on where it is located on the disk.
RAM devices are used in computer systems as the main memory. RAM is considered volatile memory, which means that the stored information is lost when there is no power. So, RAM is used by the central processing unit (CPU) when a computer is running to store information that it needs to be used very quickly, but it does not store any information permanently.
Present-day RAM devices use integrated circuits to store information. This is a relatively expensive form of storage and the cost per unit of storage is much higher than for devices like a hard drive. However, the time to access data is so much faster for RAM that speed outweighs cost. A computer, therefore, uses a certain amount of RAM for fast-access, temporary storage of information and a much larger amount of non-random, permanent mass storage, like a hard disk drive. For example, a typical computer system may have two to eight GB (gigabytes) of RAM, while the storage capacity of the hard disk drive can be several hundred GB or even one TB (terabyte).
A Bit of History
The earliest form of RAM goes back to the very first computers in the 1940s. Magnetic-core memory relied on an array of magnetized rings. Data could be stored by magnetizing each ring individually. Each ring was wired separately, which resulted in fairly large installations. A single ring could store a single bit of data and the direction of magnetization indicated zero or one.
Technological advances resulted in smaller devices that could store more information but relied on the same principle. The memory unit in the photograph below is about 10 x 10 cm and can store 1,024 bits. That is very small by today's standards, but it was state-of-the-art in the 1960s.