Well, I read that capacitors store charge in them.. and I also read that computers store data in the form of electric charges.. I'm new to this topic.. so I just wanted 2 know whether my info was right and whether I would be right in putting two and two together and assuming computers use capacitors to store data...?
If I was wrong.. then how do computers store data?
Capacitors? Computers?norten
That's a good question, because computers actually use THREE different methods to store data, and two variations on one of those.
The first one is electronic switches, called "flip-flops".聽 These can be set to a state and remain in that state as long as they receive power.聽 Flip-flops are used in static RAM.
The third one is magnetic recording.聽 This is the coatings on hard discs which can be magnetized and retains that magnetism for a very long time (years to decades).
The second one is dynamic RAM, which is a whole bunch of circuitry built around capacitors!聽 Dynamic RAM, or DRAM, is simpler than static RAM so more bits can fit on a chip.聽 It works by connecting a capacitor to a wire with a transistor which places a charge or no charge on the capacitor, then turning the transistor off and letting the capacitor store the charge for a while.聽 The charge eventually leaks away, so it has to be read back and restored to full strength every so often; this process is called "refreshing".
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