Computer Fundamentals - Engineering

Q1:

A memory that is capable of determining whether a given datum is contained in one of its addresses is

A ROM

B PROM

C CAM

D RAM

E None of the above

ANS:C - CAM

Content-addressable memory (CAM) / associative memory / associative storage / or associative array:.

It is a special type of computer memory used in certain very-high-speed searching applications.

It is computer memory that operates like a hardware search engine for search-intensive applications.

Associative memory in computer organization is when memory is accessed through content rather than through a specific address.

Data stored on CAM can be accessed by searching for the content itself not by the a specific address and the memory retrieves the addresses where that content can be found. Because of its parallel nature, CAM is much faster than RAM for searching.