Get ready for the FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) exam. Study with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and detailed explanations. Prepare effectively for your licensing test!

Multiple Choice

What is the name of the semiconductor memory IC whose digital data can be written or read, and whose memory word address can be accessed randomly?

RAM enables both reading and writing of data and allows direct, random access to any memory word. This means the processor can pick any address and read or write its contents quickly, without having to go through addresses in sequence. That combination of read/write capability and true random access is what defines RAM as the memory type used for normal operation in computers and many devices. Other memory types shown are read-only by design. PROM is programmed once and then stored as fixed data; ROM holds fixed data that isn’t intended to be changed during normal use; EPROM is erasable and reprogrammable but requires special processes and isn’t used as ordinary writable memory. Because they can’t be written and accessed in the same flexible, direct way as RAM, they don’t fit the description.

RAM enables both reading and writing of data and allows direct, random access to any memory word. This means the processor can pick any address and read or write its contents quickly, without having to go through addresses in sequence. That combination of read/write capability and true random access is what defines RAM as the memory type used for normal operation in computers and many devices.

Other memory types shown are read-only by design. PROM is programmed once and then stored as fixed data; ROM holds fixed data that isn’t intended to be changed during normal use; EPROM is erasable and reprogrammable but requires special processes and isn’t used as ordinary writable memory. Because they can’t be written and accessed in the same flexible, direct way as RAM, they don’t fit the description.