Differences between Primary and Secondary Storage

primary storage

VS

secondary storage

PRIMARY STORAGE	SECONDARY STORAGE
All secondary storage is permanent	All secondary storage is permanent
Primary storage is expensive and smaller	Secondary storage is usually cheaper and large
Primary storage is smaller in capacity	Secondary storage is bigger capacity
- Primary storage is usually faster therefore more expensive - Primary storage is closer to the CPU and/or is integrated onto it and therefore is faster	Secondary storage is closer to the CPU via cables and therefore is slower
Example : RAM, L2 Cache	Example : Hard Drive, CD-ROM

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Unit for Data Measurement

There are 8 bits in 1 byte, and 16 bits in 2 bytes. A 16-bit value is called a word

Bits, Bytes, Mega, Giga, Tera

1 bit = a 1 or 0 (b)
4 bits = 1 nybble (?)
8 bits = 1 byte (B)
1024 bytes = 1 Kilobyte (KB)
1024 Kilobytes = 1 Megabyte (MB)
1024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte (GB)
1024 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte (TB)

BIT :

- A bit is the smallest unit of data that the computer can process. Bit is a short for binary digit. A bit is represented by the numbers 1 and 0. These numbers represent the binary system. They correspond to the states of on and off, true and false, or yes and no.

- All digital data use the binary system to process the information. This information include letters, digits or special character.

BYTE :

- Byte is a unit of information built from bits. One byte is equals to 8 bits. Eight bits that are grouped together as a unit. A byte provides enough different combinations of 0s and 1s to represent 256 individual characters.

- One byte represents a single character such as the number 3, letter b or a $ symbol. Bits and bytes are the basis for representing all meaningful information and programs on computers.

CHARACTER

8 bits = 1 byte

- One byte represents one character such as A, 7, 9 and +.Eight bits that are grouped together as a unit. A byte provides enough different combinations of 0s and 1s to represent 256 individual characters.

KILOBYTE (KB)

- In mathematics, 1 KB = 1000 bytes.

- In computer, 1 KB = 1024 bytes or can be said as:

1 KB = 2¹⁰ bytes

-This is how we get the calculation for 1024 bytes.

MEGABYTE (MB)

- 1 MB = 1 048 576 bytes or it can be said as:

1 MB = 2²⁰ bytes

GIGABYTE (GB)

- 1 GB = 1 073 741 824 bytes or it can be said as:

1 GB = 2³⁰ bytes

TERABYTE (TB)

- 1 TB = 1 099 511 627 776 bytes or it can be said as:

1 TB = 2⁴⁰ bytes

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Overview of Computer System

1. These devices are examples of computer hardware. A computer system needs to have these hardware to function.


2. A computer system is defined as combination of components designed to process data and store files.

3. A computer system consists of four major hardware components; input devices, output devices, processor and storage devices.

4. A computer system requires hardware, software and a user to fully function.

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