secondary storage

Secondary storage devices can be grouped into three categories - what are they?

• Magnetic, Flash and Optical

• Magnetic, Optical and Solid State

• Solid State, Flash and Hard Drives

• Hard Drives, CDs and USBs

Answer explanation

The correct categories of secondary storage devices are Magnetic, Optical, and Solid State. Magnetic includes hard drives, Optical includes CDs, and Solid State refers to flash drives, highlighting the diversity in storage technology.

Hard Disk Drives are a type of...

• Optical storage device

• Magnetic storage device

• Solid State memory

• Primary memory

Answer explanation

Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) use magnetic storage to read and write data on rotating disks. Unlike optical storage devices that use lasers, HDDs rely on magnetic fields, making 'Magnetic storage device' the correct choice.

CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays are all types of...

• Magnetic storage devices

• Optical storage devices

• Solid State memory

• Primary memory

Answer explanation

CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays use laser technology to read and write data, classifying them as optical storage devices. They differ from magnetic storage and solid-state memory, which use different methods for data storage.

Magnetic tape storage is what kind of device...

• Solid state memory

• Optical storage

• Magnetic storage

• Primary memory

Answer explanation

Magnetic tape storage is classified as magnetic storage because it uses magnetic properties to record and retrieve data. This distinguishes it from solid state memory and optical storage, which use different technologies.

Which optical storage device has an average memory size of around 4.7GB?

• CD

• DVD

• Blu-Ray

• USB flash drive

Answer explanation

The average memory size of a DVD is around 4.7GB, making it the correct choice. CDs typically hold about 700MB, while Blu-Ray discs can store 25GB or more. USB flash drives vary widely in capacity.

Which category of secondary storage devices has the fastest access speeds? (i.e. quicker to read and write to)

• Magnetic storage

• Solid state storage

• Primary memory

• Optical memory

Answer explanation

Solid state storage has the fastest access speeds among secondary storage devices due to its lack of moving parts, allowing for quicker read and write operations compared to magnetic and optical storage.

Solid state hard drives have moving parts.

• true

• FALSE

Answer explanation

Solid state hard drives (SSDs) do not have moving parts; they use flash memory to store data, unlike traditional hard drives (HDDs) which rely on spinning disks. Therefore, the statement is FALSE.

Which of these define what secondary storage is?

• Non-volatile storage / devices that are not directly accessible by the CPU

• Any non-volatile storage

• All memory technologies that use magnetism.

• Any memory technology using laser light

• A USB device

Answer explanation

The correct choice defines secondary storage as non-volatile storage that is not directly accessible by the CPU, distinguishing it from primary storage. Other options do not accurately capture this definition.

Which of these storage devices make use of optics (laser light) to store data? (Tick All)

• CD

• Fibre Optic Cable

• DVD

• Blue-Ray

• LED

Answer explanation

CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray use laser light to read and write data, making them optical storage devices. Fibre Optic Cable transmits data but does not store it, and LED is not a storage device.

What is an advantage of a CD?

• Easily scratched, leading to the loss of data

• Large storage capacity

• Expensive to buy

• Portable, easy to carry around

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 'Portable, easy to carry around' because CDs are lightweight and can be easily transported, making them convenient for sharing and accessing data on the go.