CLASS DISCUSSION: QUESTIONS

Primary storage
1 When typing a document or building a spreadsheet, where is the current
information stored?
2 If a document is not saved, what happens to the document if the power is cut or
the computer is shut down?
3 To start up a computer, instructions are needed. Where are the instructions
stored to start up a computer?

Units of storage
1 When we measure distance we use centimetres, metres or kilometres; when we
measure weight, we use grams and kilograms. What units are used to determine
how much information we can store or process in a computer?

Secondary storage devices

1 What is secondary storage?
2 Why do we need secondary storage?

Tape storage
1 Before we had CDs and DVDs, what media were used to store music and
videos?
2 If you had to play song number 5 on side A of a cassette and you are at song 2,
how would you get to song 5?
3 Before DVDs, what medium was used to store movies?
4 Do you think cassettes and VHS tapes function more or less the same way?
5 Are magnetic tapes still used to store computer data?

Floppy disk
1 Do you use floppy disks to store data?
2 Why do you we floppy disks?
3 What are the differences between floppy disks and magnetic tape?

ZIP disk
1 What are the differences between a zip disk and a floppy disk?

Optical disk
1 Which medium would we use to store music?
2 Which medium is used to store movies? Why?
Flash drive
1 Do you know of any portable storage devices other than those discussed
already?
2 What are some of the differences between a flash (pen) drive and a floppy disk?