Computer memory
Computer memory comes in many different types, and each one has its own use. The most common, and the ones people are most familiar with are hard drives and RAM, which stands for Random Access Memory. Hard drives are what are in all computers. They are discs that spin while the computer reads the information stored on them via a magnetic head. Hard drives are where the operating system and all the software for a computer are stored, along with all of your personal information such as documents and pictures. RAM is like a buffer for your computer. It loads things in the background and allows more than one program to run at the same time on the computer.
There is another kind of hard drive called a solid state drive. A solid state drive is memory like a camera memory card, or a small portable thumb drive. The memory does not spin like in a traditional hard drive. Solid state drives make very sturdy drive for technologies such as laptops because they cannot be damaged in a fall by the spinning being interrupted because they do not spin. One, current, problem with solid state drives is their cost. The larger the memory on the drive the more expensive it gets, thus putting most sizes of solid state drives out of reach of the average consumer. But they are faster and more compact than a traditional drive.
