Eleanor Finch
Memory cells are the fundamental building blocks of computer memory, storing one bit of binary information. Each memory cell has a unique address or location, which is used to efficiently store and retrieve data. Memory addresses are unique identifiers that reference a specific location in the memory where data is stored. They are generally represented by a sequence of numbers, in decimal or hexadecimal format, and are an essential component of a computer's architecture. The size of the address space depends on the underlying architecture, such as 32-bit or 64-bit systems. The range of addressing memory also depends on the bit size of the bus used for addresses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To store data and instructions |
| Unique identifier | Each memory cell has a unique address |
| Information type | Stores one bit of binary information |
| Logic | Must be set to store a logic 1 (high voltage level) and reset to store a logic 0 (low voltage level) |
| Address type | Physical and virtual |
| Address representation | Binary, decimal, or hexadecimal numbers |
| Address modes | Direct, indirect, indexed, and base address modes |
| Address space | Depends on the underlying architecture (e.g., 32-bit or 64-bit systems) |
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What You'll Learn
Memory addresses are unique identifiers
The concept of memory addressing is fundamental to computer architecture. It defines how data is organised and accessed within the system. A well-designed memory addressing scheme allows for efficient memory resource utilisation, easy data retrieval, and effective memory management. It also enables the development of advanced features such as virtual memory and memory protection mechanisms, enhancing overall system performance and security.
Memory addresses come in two types: physical and virtual. A physical memory address refers to the actual, tangible location of a data item in the computer's hardware, such as in RAM or cache. On the other hand, a virtual memory address is an abstraction used by the operating system to provide a consistent and simplified view of the memory space for applications. With the introduction of virtual memory, most application programs no longer deal directly with physical addresses but instead use logical or virtual addresses.
The memory cell is the fundamental building block of computer memory. It stores one bit of binary information, which can be accessed by reading the cell. The value of the memory cell is either set to store a logic 1 (high voltage level) or reset to store a logic 0 (low voltage level). This binary system forms the basis of modern computing, where data is stored, retrieved, and manipulated using memory addresses.
Memory cells are organised into registers, which are storage locations within the memory. Each register is made up of a storage element, and together, they constitute the memory unit. The total number of bits a memory unit can store is its capacity. The memory unit consists of data lines, address selection lines, and control lines that govern the direction of data transfer. This intricate system of memory cells, addresses, and registers allows computers to efficiently store and retrieve vast amounts of data, resembling the complex information processing capabilities of the human brain.
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Memory cells store binary information
Memory cells are the fundamental building blocks of computer memory. They are electronic circuits that store binary information. Each memory cell stores a single bit of binary information, which can be accessed by reading the cell. The binary information is stored as either a logic 1 (high voltage level) or a logic 0 (low voltage level). This binary data is the foundation of computing, with each bit representing either an ON or OFF state.
The memory cell's value is maintained until it is changed by a set/reset process. This process involves setting the output to 1 or resetting it to 0. Memory cells are used in digital systems for temporary storage and are essential in storing both programs and data. They are also used for the temporary storage of output from combinational circuits, which are logic circuits without memory cells.
Memory is divided into cells, each with a unique location or address. The address is used to identify the memory location and manage access to the data stored there. The number of bits a memory cell can store determines its capacity. For example, a memory cell with an 8-bit byte address can access 1,048,576 memory locations, or one MiB of memory.
Different memory cell architectures have been used throughout the history of computing, including core memory and bubble memory. Modern memory cells are typically MOS memory cells, which consist of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) memory cells. These cells are used in modern random-access memory (RAM), which provides temporary storage for a computer's data.
Memory cells are essential in storing binary information, with each cell storing a single bit that can be accessed and manipulated as needed by the computer system.
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Memory addressing modes
There are several different types of addressing modes, including:
- Implied addressing: In this mode, the operand is specified in the instruction itself. The data is 8 or 16 bits long and is part of the instruction.
- Register indirect addressing: In this mode, the effective address is in a register, and the corresponding register name is maintained in the address field of an instruction. One register reference and one memory reference are required to access the data.
- Memory indirect addressing: In this mode, the effective address is in the memory, and the corresponding memory address is maintained in the address field of an instruction. Two memory references are required to access the data.
- Direct addressing: This mode requires direct access to the main memory, usually to the data segment, resulting in slower data processing. The offset value, or effective address, is specified directly as part of the instruction.
- Auto-increment and auto-decrement addressing: These modes are useful for implementing "Last-In-First-Out" data structures. The operand's offset is given in the instruction as an 8-bit or 16-bit displacement element. Only one memory reference operation is required to access the data.
- Immediate addressing: In this mode, the first operand may be a register or memory location, and the second operand is an immediate constant value or expression.
The number of addressing modes varies across architectures, with some machines encoding the addressing mode within the instruction code, while others set aside a specific field in the instruction to specify the addressing mode.
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Virtual memory addresses
Memory is divided into cells, each with a unique location or address. Memory addresses are used to execute machine code and to store and retrieve data.
The process of translating a virtual memory address begins with dissecting the virtual address into a virtual page number and a page offset. The offset consists of the last bits of the virtual address and is passed through to the physical memory address without translation. The MMU uses the offset to immediately know which physical memory page to access.
The range of virtual addresses usually starts at a low address and can extend to the highest address allowed by the computer's instruction set architecture and supported by the operating system's pointer size implementation. On a 32-bit OS, each memory address in the virtual address space can have a single byte as a value.
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Physical memory addresses
A physical memory address is a unique identifier used to locate a specific item within a computer's memory. It acts as a reference point to facilitate the retrieval, storage, or manipulation of data. Physical memory addresses refer to the actual location of a data item in the computer's hardware, such as RAM or cache. Each memory cell has its own unique location or address.
Memory addressing plays a crucial role in data storage and retrieval in computer systems. When a program needs to store or access data, it uses memory addresses to locate the specific memory cells where the data is stored. This enables efficient data management and ensures that programs can quickly and predictably access the data they need.
The memory cell is the fundamental building block of computer memory. It is an electronic circuit that stores one bit of binary information. The value in a memory cell can be accessed by reading it. Memory cells can be implemented using different technologies, such as bipolar, MOS, and other semiconductor devices, or built from magnetic materials. The purpose of the binary memory cell is always the same: to store one bit of binary information that can be accessed by reading the cell, with a value of either 1 or 0.
In early computers, logical addresses (used by programs) and physical addresses (actual locations in hardware memory) were the same. However, with the introduction of virtual memory, most application programs do not directly deal with physical addresses. Instead, they use logical or virtual addresses, which are translated into physical addresses by the computer's memory management unit (MMU) and the operating system's memory mapping mechanisms. This allows for the development of features such as virtual memory and memory protection mechanisms, enhancing overall system performance and security.
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Frequently asked questions
A memory cell is the fundamental building block of computer memory, storing one bit of binary information.
A memory address is a unique identifier used to locate a specific item within a computer's memory. It functions as a reference point for data retrieval, storage, and manipulation.
Memory addresses are typically represented as binary numbers, but can also be expressed in decimal or hexadecimal format.
A physical memory address refers to the actual location of data in the computer's hardware (e.g. RAM or cache). A virtual memory address is an abstraction used by the operating system to provide a simplified view of memory space for applications.
The range of memory addresses depends on the bit size of the bus used for addresses. Word-addressable computers have a minimal addressable storage unit equal to the processor's word size. The number of available addresses increases with the number of bits used.
