Chapter 2: The computer's Memory

RAM (random access memory)

-Used to store program instructioms and data temporarily

- Unique addressees and data can be stored in any location

- Can quickly retreive information

-Will not remain if power goes off.
ROM (read only memory)
-Information stored permanently on a chip
-Contains startup instructions and other permanent data.
CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor)
-special low-energy kind of RAM
Flash memory
-Ued for phones, pagers, computers, and PDA's
Buses, Ports, and Peripherals:
- Iformation travels between components on the motherboard through groups of wires called system buses, or just buses.
Buses:
-Tpically have 32 or 64 wires
- Connect to storage devices in bays
-Connect to expansion slots
- connect to external buses and ports
Slots and ports:
-Buses also connect to external buses and ports -sockets on the outside of the computer chassis.
- Make it easy to ass external devices, called peripherals.
Inventing the Future:
-> New laser etching technology called extremw ultraviolet lithography could reduce chip size and increase preformance radically.
- Superconductorsa that transmit electricity without heat could increase computer speed a hundreedfold.
- The optical computer tranmist inforamtion in light waves rather than electrical pulses.