Memory & StorageIntroduction
The Desk with a Filing Cabinet
Part of Virtual Memory — GCSE Computer Science
This introduction covers The Desk with a Filing Cabinet within Virtual Memory for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Virtual Memory in Memory & Storage for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 16 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 1 of 9 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 1 of 9
Practice
15 questions
Recall
16 flashcards
The Desk with a Filing Cabinet
Imagine you're working at a desk with limited surface area (this is your RAM). You're working on 10 different projects, but your desk only has space for 3 folders at once. What do you do? You keep a filing cabinet next to your desk (this is your hard drive). When you need to work on a different project, you quickly swap folders between the desk and the filing cabinet. This is exactly how virtual memory works - it uses hard drive space as an extension of RAM when you run out of physical memory!