If you turn a computer completely off and then back on, any unsaved work in a running program disappears - but photos already saved to the hard drive or SSD are still there. What key difference between RAM and long-term storage explains this?
- RAM is physically located inside the CPU chip, while storage devices are always external plug-in accessories
- RAM can only hold text data, while storage devices are needed for anything else, like photos or video
- RAM works only when connected to the internet, while storage devices work fully offline
- RAM is volatile memory that needs a constant electrical charge to hold data, so it clears when power is lost, while storage devices like hard drives and SSDs retain data without power
Why D? And why not the others?
Correct answer: D. RAM is volatile memory that needs a constant electrical charge to hold data, so it clears when power is lost, while storage devices like hard drives and SSDs retain data without power
RAM is volatile memory, meaning it only holds its data while it keeps receiving electrical power; the moment power is cut, whatever was stored in RAM is lost, which is why an unsaved document vanishes after a full power-off. Long-term storage devices like hard drives (which store data as magnetic patterns) and SSDs (which store data in flash memory cells that hold their charge state) are non-volatile, so the data they hold survives with no power at all, which is why saved photos are still there afterwards. The option about physical location is wrong because RAM usually sits on its own chip on the motherboard rather than inside the CPU, and plenty of storage, like an internal SSD, is not an external accessory at all. The option about data type is wrong because RAM can temporarily hold any kind of binary data, including images and video, while a program is actively using them; the real distinction is about whether the data survives a power loss, not what type of data it is. The option about internet connectivity is wrong because both RAM and storage function perfectly well with no internet connection whatsoever; volatility has nothing to do with networking.
Source: BBC Bitesize GCSE Computer Science: Memory