Rocket is typing a report about the music player. The lights in the Fix-It Bay flicker, and the laptop screen goes dark. "My report!" he shouts. "It is gone!"
Raven waits for the laptop to start again. "What do you notice?" she asks. "Did you save it?"
Nova glows softly. "A computer has two kinds of remembering," she says. "One forgets when the power stops. One keeps things safe. Would you like a hint? Look for the save button."
Memory holds the work a computer is doing right now. It is fast, but it forgets when the power goes off.
Storage keeps files for later. Photos, games, songs and saved reports live in storage. Storage remembers even when the power is off.
Think of a desk and a shelf. Memory is the desk where you work. Storage is the shelf where you keep finished work.
| Memory | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | Work happening right now | Saved files |
| Speed | Very fast | Slower |
| When power goes off | Forgets everything | Keeps everything |
| Like | A desk | A shelf |
When you type, your words sit in memory. When you press save, a copy goes to storage.
Many apps save on their own every few seconds. Some do not. Saving often is a good habit.
In the story, Rocket had not saved. His report was only in memory, so it was lost when the power went off.
The full path now has four parts. Input goes in and the processor works on it. Output comes out, and storage keeps it for later.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Memory forgets when the power goes off. | ? |
| Storage forgets when the power goes off. | ? |
| Saving a file puts a copy in storage. | ? |
| Memory is like a shelf for finished work. | ? |
Well done! Now you know all four parts of the path: input, process, output and storage. Tomorrow you will spot computers hiding all around you.