A neighbor wants to send a drawing to a friend. Her tablet is full of apps. She is not sure which one to open. "Just tap them all!" Rocket says, reaching out.
Raven stops his hand. "What do you notice about the names and pictures on each app?"
Nova spins slowly. "Would you like a hint? Every app is built for one kind of job. The job is the clue."
An app is a program made for one kind of job. A drawing app makes pictures. A message app sends messages.
The operating system runs the device. Apps do the jobs you actually want to do.
When you tap an app, the operating system loads its instructions from storage into memory. Then the processor starts following them.
When you close an app, its instructions leave memory. The app is still on storage, ready for next time.
| Job | Kind of app | Hardware it uses most |
|---|---|---|
| Make a picture | Drawing app | Touchscreen and processor |
| Talk to a far-away friend | Video call app | Camera, microphone, speaker |
| Read a story | Reading app | Screen |
| Find a fact | Web browser | Network |
| Hear a song | Music player | Speaker |
You can have several apps open at once. Each one takes some memory.
Memory is like a workbench. Too many open apps make the workbench crowded, and the device slows down.
Closing apps you are not using clears space. Closing an app is a safe fix a child may do.
Closing is not deleting. The app stays on storage. Only its spot in memory is cleared.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Closing an app deletes it from storage. | ? |
| Each open app uses some memory. | ? |
| One app is built to do every job. | ? |
| Closing an app you are not using can speed things up. | ? |
Nice work, Crew Technician! You can match a job to its app and tidy a crowded workbench. Tomorrow you will learn how your work is kept safe in files.