Volatile RAM
The other major category of memory chips besides ROMs is RAMs. RAM chips store data bits just like ROM chips do, but with two major differences: RAM chips can be erased and reprogrammed almost instantaneously and the data stored in RAM chips is not permanent. RAM chips “forget” everything they're storing when you turn off their electricity. RAM chips are used in computers and other products that need lots of short-term memory storage.
RAM chips are inferior to ROM chips in almost every way, yet they are necessary because they work like electronic scratchpads. Even flash ROM chips take far too much time to erase and reuse to be practical for the main memory in a computer. RAM chips are more expensive and harder to use than ROM chips, ...
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