Map the hierarchy of computer memory by speed/capacity, and understand how the system bus transports data.
Hook comparing human memory to computer memory.
Humans have short-term memory for active thinking and long-term memory like journals for permanent records. Computers work exactly the same way! They use different types of memory to balance speed, cost, and storage capacity.
Pyramid showing Cache, Primary, and Secondary memory.
Memory balances speed and capacity. The closer to the CPU, the faster and smaller it gets.
Drag and drop memory sizes from smallest to largest.
Drag and drop the memory units to arrange them in order from smallest capacity to largest capacity.
Explanation of data, address, and control buses.
Just as cities need roads to transport goods, computer components need physical wires to transfer data. In a computer system, this network of wires is called a bus. It links the CPU, memory, and Input/Output devices together.
Diagram of CPU, Memory, I/O and the 3 buses.
The system bus connects all components, with the address bus pointing outwards from the CPU and the data bus moving both ways.
MCQ on bus types and directionality.
Which bus is responsible for specifying the exact location in memory the CPU wants to read from, and in which direction does it travel?