When I want to explain the difference between disk storage and memory to someone who isn’t well-versed in computer architecture, I like to use an analogy involving writing a thesis.
Imagine you are working on a thesis—a project that requires numerous sources, such as books. You are sitting at a desk with several books open, their pages marked for easy reference. This desk represents your Random Access Memory (RAM).
Now, picture a bookshelf across the room containing many more books. However, to access these books, you have to stand up and walk over to retrieve them. This process takes longer than simply referencing the books on your desk. The bookshelf represents your disk storage.
If you need a book that is neither on your desk nor in your personal bookshelf, you have to get on your bike and ride to the local library. This trip takes even more time, so you make sure only to go when absolutely necessary and borrow multiple books at once if needed. The local library represents the internet.
From this analogy, you can infer several key points:
- Organizing your bookshelf (disk) won’t significantly speed up your work. Instead, keeping your desk (RAM) tidy and well-managed is what makes the most difference. This is why restarts help computer run smoother.
- A larger desk (more RAM) allows you to have more books open and accessible, improving efficiency.
- Accessing information follows a scale of speed and effort: finding something on your desk (RAM) is the quickest, retrieving a book from the bookshelf (disk) takes more time, and going to the local library (internet) requires careful consideration—you wouldn’t make multiple trips just for a single book unless absolutely necessary.