Inside the Microcomputer

Model Agricultural Core Curriculum: Supplement

University of California, Davis444.T 1

Bits, Bytes, Kilobytes, and Megabytes

Bit: One binary digit (0 or 1).

Byte: Eight bits. Each number or letter on a computer uses 1 byte.

Kilobytes: 1000 bytes. Memory capacity measurement.

Megabytes: 1000 kilobytes or 1 million bytes.

Inside the Microcomputer

Model Agricultural Core Curriculum: Supplement

University of California, Davis444.T 2

“ROM” and “RAM”

“ROM” : Read Only Memory

- Contains special instructions for the computer on how to operate.

“RAM” : Random Access Memory

- Stores programs and data that is processed.

- It is erasable during operation and is always erased when computer is turned off.