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Discussion on: Explain "memory" like I'm five

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MurrayVarey

You are holding a book. You can read that book at any time -- look at its pictures, take in its words. However, you can only hold a small number of books without dropping them -- making a mess, and getting told off.

To swap for a new book, you have to walk to the bookshelf. This takes time. The bookshelf can hold a lot more books ... but you have to find the one you want. This also takes time.

The book you're holding is in RAM -- quick access, limited space. The books on the bookshelf are on a Disk -- slow access, more space.

(... And that's about where the analogy falls down.)