RAM (Random Access Memory)

RAM

Random-access memory (RAM) is a part of computer data storage. It is considered as a volatile memory or short term memory storage for the computer.

Early computer use relays, mechanical counter and delay line as mean of storing memory.

Types of RAM

There 2 type of RAM;

 i) Static RAM (SRAM)
ii) Dynamic RAM (DRAM). 

In SRAM, the data are store in a "flip-flop" circuit. A flip-flop is a bistable multivibrator. This RAM are genarally use as acache memory in CPU as it is quite expensive to produce. DRAM on the other hand stores a bit of data using a transistor and capacitor pair, forming a memory cell. The capacitor holds the electrical charge (1 or 0, respectively), and the transistor will acts as a switch that lets the control circuitry on the chip read the capacitor's state of charge or change it. Hence it is much more cheaper and commonly use as the memory storage in the computer now days.

Both static and dynamic RAM are considered volatile, as the data is lost (or being reset) when power supply is removed from the system. As a comparison ROM (Read-Only Memory) remove the need of electronic circuit in order to keep the data even after the the power supply is removed.