Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Random Access Memory |
Random Access MemoryNoun1. The most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on; an integrated circuit memory chip allows information to be stored or accessed in any order and all storage locations are equally accessible. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definitions |
Computing | Any type of memory with both read and write capability, used as a scratchpad for storage of input data, intermediate results, or in program development, and which provides access to any storage location point in the memory immediately by means of vertical and horizontal coordinates(addresses). Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Computers use RAM to hold the program code and data during execution. In the first electronic computers, RAM was built from vacuum tubes, and later magnetic cores. The term "core" is still used by some programmers to describe the RAM at the heart of a computer.
Many types of RAM are volatile, which means that unlike some other forms of computer storage such as disk storage and tape storage, they lose their data when the computer is powered down.
Throughout the history of computing, a variety of technologies have been used for RAM, and usually more than one in the same computer, with high-memories constructed out of the same technology as the logic, and slower, cheaper technologies used for bulk storage.
Some early computers used mercury delay lines, in which a series of acoustic pulses were sent along a tube filled with mercury. When the pulse reached the end of the tube, the circuitry detected whether the pulse represented a binary 1 or 0 and caused the oscillator at the beginning of the line to repeat the pulse. Other early computers stored RAM on high-speed "magnetic drums".
Later designs used arrays of small ferrite electromagnets, known as core memory.
Modern RAM generally stores a bit of data as either a charge in a capacitor, as in dynamic RAM, or the state of a flip-flop, as in static RAM.
Overview
Common types of RAM
Not so common types of RAM
RAM packaging
Semiconductor RAM is produced as integrated circuits (ICs). RAM ICs are often assembled into plug-in modules. Some standard module types are:
Write-Only Memory
In 1972 some engineers at the Signetics Corporation published a spoof data sheet for a write-only memory. This was a type of RAM with no read facility and therefore no outputs. The full title was Fully Encoded, 9046×N, Random Access Write-Only Memory and the part number was 25120.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Random access memory."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
| MOS RAM | English | Metal-oxide silicon random access memory | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: Random Access MemorySynonyms: random memory (n), random-access memory (n), read/write memory (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Information | Magnetic media, paper medium, optical media; random access memory, RAM; read-only memory, ROM; write once read mostly memory, WORM. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Expressions using "random access memory": burst Static Random Access Memory ♦ connection random access memory ♦ double Data Rate Random Access Memory ♦ double Data Rate Synchronous Random Access Memory ♦ dynamic random access memory ♦ enhanced Dynamic Random Access Memory ♦ extended Data Out Dynamic Random Access Memory ♦ extended Data Out Random Access Memory ♦ fast Page Mode Dynamic Random Access Memory ♦ ferroelectric Random Access Memory ♦ page Mode Dynamic Random Access Memory ♦ shared random access memory ♦ single Data Rate Random Access Memory ♦ single Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory ♦ static random access memory ♦ synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory ♦ synchronous Graphics Random Access Memory ♦ video random access memory ♦ window Random Access Memory. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
random access memory | 76 |
ram random access memory | 3 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "random access memory"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | kujtesë e gjallë. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | оперативна памет. (various references) | |
Chinese | 隨機存取記憶" . (various references) | |
Danish | RAM,random access memory (random access storage, random access store), lager med direkte tilgang (random access storage, random access store), læse/skrivelager (random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
Dutch | RAM-geheugen (random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
Finnish | satunnaismuisti (connection random access memory, CRAM), lohko-orientointunut työmuisti (block oriented random access memory, BORAM, holographic random access memory), jaettu poimintamuisti (shared random access memory, SRAM), jaettu hajasaantimuisti (shared random access memory, SRAM), dynaaminen hakumuisti (DRAM, dynamic RAM, dynamic random access memory), DRAM (DRAM, dynamic RAM, dynamic random access memory). (various references) | |
French | mémoire vive (random access storage, random access store), mémoire adressable (random access storage, random access store), mémoire accès aléatoire (random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
German | RAM (ram, random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
Greek | μνήμη γραψίματος (random access storage, random access store), μνήμη τυχαίας προσπέλασης (random access storage, random access store), διαβάσματος (random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
Italian | RAM (random access storage, random access store), memoria ad accesso casuale (random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | andomray accessay emorymay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | memória viva (random access storage, random access store), memória RAM (random access storage, random access store), Memória de Acesso Aleatório (random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
Russian | оперативная память. (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | ram memorija (ram). (various references) | |
Spanish | RAM (ram, random access storage, random access store), memoria viva (random access storage, random access store), memoria RAM (random access storage, random access store), memoria de lectura-escritura (random access storage, random access store), memoria de acceso directo (random access storage, random access store). (various references) | |
Swedish | dynamiskt RAM-minne (DRAM, dynamic RAM, dynamic random access memory), dynamiskt direktminne (DRAM, dynamic RAM, dynamic random access memory), CRAM (connection random access memory, CRAM), blockorienterat RAM-minne (block oriented random access memory, BORAM, holographic random access memory), blockorienterat direktminne (block oriented random access memory, BORAM, holographic random access memory). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"Random Access Memory" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: radom access memory, ramdom access memory, random access memor. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)52 61 6E 64 6F 6D 41 63 63 65 73 73 4D 65 6D 6F 72 79 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01010010 01100001 01101110 01100100 01101111 01101101 00100000 01000001 01100011 01100011 01100101 01110011 01110011 00100000 01001101 01100101 01101101 01101111 01110010 01111001 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)R a n d o m   A c c e s s   M e m o r y |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0052 0061 006E 0064 006F 006D 0041 0063 0063 0065 0073 0073 004D 0065 006D 006F 0072 0079 |
Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)52678070817923569697185852477179818491 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Expressions 7. Expressions: Internet 8. Translations: Modern | 9. Abbreviations 10. Acronyms 11. Derivations 12. Orthography | 13. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
