Aishwarya Hariharan Week 15: Computer Memory
Computer Memory
It’s crazy to think that there are so many different interpretations of the word memory. From the game, memory, to memories we make throughout our lives to as distant as computer memory. In computers, memory is a device or system that is used to store information for immediate use. It’s honestly the same type of idea as memories we make and store inside our brains, but about two entirely different things. Let’s look at computer memory.
It’s crazy to think that there are so many different memories we make in our lives that we end up forgetting over the years. Computer memory on the other hand, stays in the computer forever. Memory is one of the most basic functions of a computer, as without it, a computer would barely be able to function, if it can even function that is. Memory in a computer like I mentioned before is where all the data is stored to help the computer run smoothly. The data is stored in the memory, somewhere in which it can be accessed almost immediately. A computer memory is more complex than just that meaning though. It is all a generic term which is used as a category under which there are two basic types of memory. The primary memory would be the RAM and ROM, while the secondary memory would be hard drives, CD’s, etc.
RAM stands for Random Access Memory, meaning that it is used for short term memory where the data that the processor needs is stored. The RAM is used to handle active tasks that are running, meaning that RAM is used for all the current applications an individual is running at the moment. ROM on the other hand stands for Read-Only memory. Unlike RAM, ROM is a long term memory chip in which when it receives data, it is permanently marked on the chip, storing the data in the computer even when the computer is switched off. It is also the programming in which the computer is able to start up every time we power on / restart the computer. Lastly, the second memory which consists of hard drives, CD’s and such are not directly accessible by the computer / computer processor. These are something you can store data in which can be transported to be used in various applications, services and devices.
It’s really interesting that there are so many different interpretations of a singular word. From computer memory all the way to memories made, to memory according to what an individual remembers, there are so many more interpretations of a word that you would think would have only a singular meaning.
I agree with you in that there are so many interpretations of what memory is. I wonder what the original meaning or purpose of the word was and how it adapted over the decades. Obviously, computer memory was not the first definition for memory, but maybe our brain's capability of memory was not the first either. That would definitely be something interesting to look into in the future.
ReplyDeleteHey Aishwarya, thank you for reviewing some of the computer science principles material as I genuinely forgot about ROM and RAM. I find a computer’s memory quite fascinating because you can store so much information on a tiny chip. Speaking of CSP review the smallest way information can be stored in a computer is a bit and there are eight bits in a byte. Bits can only store two binary values zero or one. However, the primary way to store data is a hard drive and it is where all OS and apps are stored.
ReplyDeleteHey Aishwarya, your talk about the different types of computer memory got me thinking about the parallel in humans and how we operate with a combination of long term memories, like language and speech, and short term memories, like which Flex all your friends are going to on that day. It makes me wonder which one is more important and fundamental to living out our daily life? If we were forced to choose between short term and long term memory, either in humans or in computers, which would we choose? An excessively dynamic life where we remember very little from the day before and operate only in the moment based on our environment that day? Or would we choose a life where we can remember everything we have done eventually so no memories are lost, but have to deal with the consequences of our memory coming back in such slow periods of times that we miss so much of the present?
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya! When I think of the word memory, I often think of people recalling pasts. However, memory has a multitude of meanings and can be used in several contexts. This is indeed interesting. Thank you for sharing information on RAM and ROM and expanding my knowledge on computer mechanics.
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ReplyDeleteI have the APCSP exam next Monday and am seriously concerned that I did not remember anything you describe about memory in your blog. At least now I know. Often, I viewed the human brain as the ultimate supercomputer. It has adaptable hardware, an unimaginably complicated algorithm for life, and an infinite amount of memory that our minds choose when to use. While we may not be able to remember things indefinitely like computers, we often do not need to. I feel that demonstrates more complexity in the human memory. Like the RAM and ROM memory types on computers, our brains probably have hundreds to thousands of different forms of memory to manage our bodily functions, immune responses, mental health, survival instincts, capacity to learn and remember, our emotional responses, etc. The two interpretations of memory may not be so vastly apart from one another.
Hi Aishwarya! Thank you for your blog on computer memory. I am taking the AP Computer Science Principles Exam and your blog on RAM versus ROM is incredibly helpful in reviewing this concept. I totally agree in being stunned at the different types of memory and different interpretations and aspects of the same word. This quarter has been incredibly eye opening. Additionally, I wonder how humans would look like if our memory was split into ROM and RAM. Would remembering certain memories be easier than how our brain works currently? Just my thoughts. Great Blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya! I love how you took a different approach to memory by describing computer memory, which we often overlook when we think of memories. Computer memory, never forgotten and always accessible is what makes it so easily accessible yet so terrifying. It is like the internet. It is ubiquitous and something that is released onto the internet can never be withdrawn, nothing is ever deleted from it.
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya—reading this blog made me happy because it felt like I was inadvertently studying for the AP CSP exam. It's interesting how the computing architecture you mentioned is modeled after the biological form. The processor is like the brain. The RAM is like our memory. And the wires connecting everything are like our neural network. It's interesting to see how humans take inspiration from biology to make innately unbiological things.
ReplyDeleteHi Aishwarya, it was really interesting learning about RAM and ROM. Although human memory does not last forever (although it can last a very long time depending on how well we encode and retrieve the information), I noticed that the uses of ROM are quite similar to the uses for long term memory, and RAM similarly resembled working memory, which is a type of short-term memory that holds information that we are currently using. It made me wonder if the first computers could have been modeled after what we knew at that time about the brain.
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