Random access memory?
RAM temporarily stores working data/code on an active computer system. Unlike on traditional storage devices such as hard drives, data can be read/written on RAM at extremely fast speeds. Current technology allows the RAM chips to be created around an integrated circuit chip with metal oxide semiconductor cells. The data stored within the RAM chips is volatile.
We lose volatile data when the computer system is no longer powered on. This is a significant reason the pull the plug tactic is no longer recommended when responding to a scene involving activated computer systems.
You may run into two different types of RAM: static RAM (SRAM) and dynamic RAM (DRAM). SRAM is considered faster and more efficient in terms of energy use, whereas DRAM is cheaper to produce than SRAM. Therefore, you will typically find SRAM used as cache memory for the CPU and DRAM chips used as memory chips for the computer system.
The following is a representation of a DRAM...