(a) Explain the following terms: (i) storage device; (ii) virtual memory. (b) Two storage devices...

Explanation

a)(i) Storage Device: It is a piece of computer equipment/device/hardware/peripheral which can hold or store data/information. It can also be used to transfer data.

OR

Storage device can either be external/internal device used to hold/store data/information, for example, magnetic disk, diskette, flash drive, hard drive. DVD and VCD.

OR

Storage device is a digital medium/piece of computer equipment/device/hardware capable of storing/holding data/information either temporarily or permanently.

(i) Virtual Memory: This is the type of memory which allows a programmer to make a memory device behave as itf it has unlimited storage capacity. This supposed 'extra' memory is stored on secondary storage.

OR

Virtual memory is a technique by which additional memory is created on hard disc to compliment the activity of computer real memory.

OR

It is temporary.storage used by a computer to run programs that need more memory than it has.

OR

It is a memory management technique that provides an idealized abstraction of the storage resources that are actually available.

OR

It is a given machine which creates the illusion to users of a very large memory.

OR

It is a memory management capability of an operating system that uses hardware and software to allow a computer to compensate for physical memory shortages by temporarily transferring data from random access memory (RAM) to dick storage.

(b)(i) Calculating Number of Bits Held by Each Device: 2KB (ii) Calculation of Total Capacity:

1 Kilobyte = 1024 bytes

1 byte = 8 bits

2 kilobytes = 2 x 1024 x 8

→ 16384 bits

2MB

1 Megabyte = 1024 kilobytes

1 kilobyte = 1024 bytes

2 kilobytes = 2 x 1024 x 8

1 byte = 8 bits

Therefore, 2MB = 2 x 1024 x 1024 x 8 = 16777216 bits

To add 2MB and 2KB together,

2Mb = 2 x 1024 x 1024 bytes

= 2097152 bytes

2KB = 2 x 1024 bytes

= 2048 bytes

Total in bytes = 2097152+ 2048 bytes

= 2,099,200 bytes