Computer Science GCES OCR
-
Cpu Architecture Performance And Embedded Systems Ocr5 主题
-
Primary And Secondary Storage Ocr6 主题
-
Data Storage And Compression Ocr12 主题
-
Units Of Data Storage Ocr
-
Processing Binary Data Ocr
-
Data Capacity And Calculating Capacity Requirements Ocr
-
Converting Between Denary And Binary Ocr
-
Binary Addition Ocr
-
Converting Between Denary And Hexadecimal Ocr
-
Converting Between Binary And Hexadecimal Ocr
-
Binary Shifts Ocr
-
Representing Characters Ocr
-
Representing Images Ocr
-
Representing Sound Ocr
-
Compression Ocr
-
Units Of Data Storage Ocr
-
Networks And Topologies Ocr6 主题
-
Wired And Wireless Networks Protocols And Layers Ocr6 主题
-
Identifying And Preventing Threats To Computer Systems And Networks Ocr2 主题
-
Operating Systems And Utility Software Ocr2 主题
-
Ethical Legal Cultural And Environmental Impact Ocr2 主题
-
Computational Thinking Searching And Sorting Algorithms Ocr3 主题
-
Designing Creating And Refining Algorithms Ocr5 主题
-
Programming Fundamentals And Data Types Ocr5 主题
-
Additional Programming Techniques Ocr7 主题
-
Defensive Design And Testing Ocr6 主题
-
Boolean Logic Diagrams Ocr2 主题
-
Programming Languages And Integrated Development Environments Ides Ocr3 主题
-
The Exam Papers Ocr2 主题
-
Structuring Your Responses Ocr3 主题
Ram And Rom Ocr
Exam code:J277
RAM
What is RAM?
-
RAM (Random Access Memory) is primary storage that is directly connected to the CPU and holds the data and instructions that are currently in use
-
RAM is volatile which means the contents of RAM are lost when the power is turned off
-
For the CPU to access the data and instructions they must be copied from secondary storage
-
RAM is very fast working memory, much faster than secondary storage
-
RAM is read/write which means data can be read from and written to
-
In comparison to ROM, it has a much larger capacity
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Just knowing what RAM is and what it stores is not enough, you must be able to apply your understanding of RAM to real world contexts where RAM is a component, e.g. TVs, game consoles and other smart devices
Worked Example
A smart television allows the user to search the Internet and watch videos online.
The smart television uses RAM
Give two examples of data that the smart television could store in RAM [2]
How to answer this question
-
Think about the main function of a smart television, watch channels, use apps to stream content and browse the web etc
-
For each function, try to think of what data would have to be in the RAM whilst you were actually doing it (in use!)
Possible answers
-
Current channel being watched
-
Current volume
-
Current video/file/tv program being watched
-
Web browser/applications that are running
-
Data being downloaded/buffered
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Examiners will accept anything reasonable when answering these style of questions BUT brand names will not be be awarded without giving an example
ROM
What is ROM?
-
ROM (Read Only Memory) is primary storage that holds the first instructions a computer needs to start up (Bootstrap)
-
ROM contains the BIOS (Basic Input Output System)
-
ROM is a small memory chip located on the computers motherboard
-
ROM is fast memory, much faster than secondary storage but slower than RAM
-
ROM is non-volatile which means the contents of ROM are not lost when the power is turned off
-
ROM is read only which means data can only be read from
-
In comparison to RAM, it has a much smaller capacity
Examiner Tips and Tricks
RAM & ROM are examples of primary storage, they can be referred to as Main Memory or Primary Memory in the exam
Worked Example
Quinn has 512 kilobytes of ROM and 16 gigabytes of RAM in her computer
-
Describe the purpose of the ROM in Quinn’s computer [2]
-
Describe the purpose of the RAM in Quinn’s computer [2]
Answer
-
ROM
-
Store start-up instructions/bootstrap
-
Used to start the computer
-
-
RAM
-
Stores the parts of the OS / programs that are running
-
Stores data currently in use
-
…for access by the CPU
-
Guidance
-
Do not confuse the purpose with characteristics, describe what it does, not what it is
Responses