RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY
The RAM chip can be likened to that casette tape with the 2 squares still intact. The contents can be changed. The RAM chip holds instructions and data that we use. We can read the content of the RAM chip and even alter them. We can also put new data. The RAM chip is volatile. This means that its contents disappear when the power is turned-off and never come back even if the computer is turned on again
If you
still recall, this is one reason why results of the processing need to
be stored in a secondary storage.
READ-ONLY MEMORY
The ROM chip is similar to the casette tape without the 2 tiny squares at its bottom. The contents of the ROM chip cannot be chanegd by the end-user. We can only read what's inside it, hence the term "read-only."
ROM chipusually
contains instructions and data that are recorded at the factory.
An example of this is the ROM chip installed in the calculator. The
ROM chip is referred to as non-volatile, meaning its contents do not disappear
even when the power is shut-off.