[Caleb Kiser]

Read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM) are both essential types of memory in a computer, but they serve very different purposes. ROM is non-volatile, meaning that it retains its data even when the computer is turned off. It’s typically used to store firmware or the computer’s basic startup instructions (like the BIOS). Things in ROM rarely change and are usually written by the manufacturer. On the opposite end, RAM is volatile memory, which means all the data stored in it is lost when the computer shuts down. RAM temporarily holds data that the CPU needs to access quickly while running programs. It’s way faster than ROM and affects the speed and performance of your system. To summarize, ROM is permanent and read-only, as the name suggests, while RAM is temporary, fast, and constantly in use while your computer is on. Both are important, but they function in completely different ways.