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Memory Devices
18 questions By Tony R. Kuphaldt
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Question 7 of 18
Flash memory is a nonvolatile memory technology, offering greater density than either SRAM or DRAM, and faster erasure than standard EPROMs. At first, it would seem Flash memory outperforms all other memory types, but it doesn’t. What are some of the disadvantages of Flash memory, and what kind of applications is it best suited for?
Reveal answerFlash memories can only be erased or re-programmed in blocks, rather than single words at a time. Also, their cycle life is quite a bit less than either SRAM or DRAM technology.
Notes:Discuss with your students some of the different applications of Flash memory technology. Talk about how those applications fit the capabilities (and weaknesses) of Flash technology well.
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Question 8 of 18
Two very important concepts to understand when working with digital memory devices are address and data. Define each of these terms in your own words.
Reveal answerI’ll let you research these terms on your own! There are many technical references available on digital memory technology, so finding definitions for “address” and “data” should not be difficult.
Notes:Analogies are often helpful to communicate the concepts of “address” and “data” to new students. I like to use the example of post office boxes (lots of addressed boxes, each containing different items) when I explain address and data.
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Question 9 of 18
A ROM memory chip is rated at 4k × 8 bits. What, exactly, does this designation mean? How many addresses are there inside this memory chip? How many bits of storage are there, total, in this memory chip? How many address bits are there, and how many data bits are there?
Reveal answerThere are 4096 addresses inside this ROM chip, for a total of 32768 bits of data storage. This chip will have twelve address bits and eight data bits.
Notes:Discuss with your students why there are not 4000 (exactly) addresses in a “4k” memory chip.
