Exploring Computer Storage Devices

Imagine your school is planning to store all students' digital projects. You have to choose between a USB flash drive, a CD, and an external hard drive. Which device would you recommend and why, considering storage capacity and ease of use?

• CD, because it is the oldest technology.

• USB flash drive, because it is small and has moderate storage.

• External hard drive, because it has the largest storage and is portable.

• None, because all are the same.

Answer explanation

The external hard drive is the best choice due to its large storage capacity, making it suitable for numerous digital projects, and its portability allows for easy transport and access.

Your friend wants to save a video game that is 50 GB in size. He has a DVD (4.7 GB), a USB flash drive (64 GB), and a floppy disk (1.44 MB). Which device should he use and why?

• DVD, because it is cheap.

• USB flash drive, because it has enough space.

• Floppy disk, because it is easy to carry.

• None, because none can store the game.

Answer explanation

The USB flash drive is the best choice because it has enough space (64 GB) to store the 50 GB video game, while the DVD (4.7 GB) and floppy disk (1.44 MB) do not have sufficient capacity.

Suppose you are designing a computer for a space mission where weight and size are very important. Which storage device would you choose and what is your reasoning?

• Hard disk drive, because it is cheap.

• Solid state drive, because it is light and has no moving parts.

• CD, because it is flat.

• Magnetic tape, because it is old.

Answer explanation

A solid state drive (SSD) is ideal for space missions due to its lightweight design and lack of moving parts, making it more reliable in extreme conditions compared to hard disk drives or other options.

You are given a list of storage devices: Blu-ray disc, SD card, and cloud storage. If you need to access your files from anywhere in the world, which would you choose and why?

• Blu-ray disc, because it is durable.

• SD card, because it is small.

• Cloud storage, because it can be accessed from anywhere with internet.

• None, because all are the same.

Answer explanation

Cloud storage is the best choice because it allows you to access your files from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection, unlike Blu-ray discs and SD cards which require physical access.

A school wants to back up all its computers every week. They are considering using magnetic tapes or external hard drives. Which would you recommend and why?

• Magnetic tapes, because they are fast.

• External hard drives, because they are faster and easier to use.

• Magnetic tapes, because they are small.

• None, because both are outdated.

Answer explanation

External hard drives are recommended because they offer faster data transfer speeds and are generally easier to use than magnetic tapes, making them more suitable for weekly backups.

Imagine you have a choice between storing your photos on your phone’s internal memory or on a cloud service. What factors would you consider to make your decision, and which would you choose?

• Internal memory, because it is always available.

• Cloud service, because it can be accessed from any device and is safer if the phone is lost.

• Internal memory, because it is faster.

• Cloud service, because it is free.

Answer explanation

Choosing a cloud service is beneficial as it allows access from any device and provides safety against data loss if the phone is lost. This outweighs the advantages of internal memory, making it the better choice.

You are tasked with explaining to your class how data is stored on a hard disk drive. Which explanation best uses reasoning and evidence?

• Data is stored using light.

• Data is stored magnetically on spinning disks, and a read/write head changes the magnetism to represent data.

• Data is stored in the cloud.

• Data is stored using electricity.

Answer explanation

Data is stored magnetically on spinning disks, where the read/write head alters the magnetism to encode information. This process allows for efficient data retrieval and storage, making it the correct explanation.

A company wants to store huge amounts of data for many years. Should they use SSDs, magnetic tapes, or DVDs? Explain your reasoning.

• SSDs, because they are fast.

• Magnetic tapes, because they are reliable for long-term storage and can store large amounts.

• DVDs, because they are cheap.

• SSDs, because they are new.

Answer explanation

Magnetic tapes are ideal for long-term storage due to their reliability and high capacity, making them suitable for storing huge amounts of data over many years, unlike SSDs and DVDs which are less efficient for this purpose.

If you had to compare the storage capacities of a floppy disk, a CD, and a Blu-ray disc, how would you rank them from smallest to largest and why?

• CD < Floppy disk < Blu-ray disc, because CDs are smaller than floppy disks.

• Floppy disk < CD < Blu-ray disc, because floppy disks have the least and Blu-ray discs have the most storage.

• Blu-ray disc < CD < Floppy disk, because Blu-ray discs are older.

• Floppy disk < Blu-ray disc < CD, because CDs are the largest.

Answer explanation

The correct ranking is Floppy disk < CD < Blu-ray disc. Floppy disks have the least storage capacity (1.44 MB), CDs hold about 700 MB, and Blu-ray discs can store 25 GB or more, making Blu-ray the largest.

You are planning to store a large video project. You have a choice between a 32 GB SD card, a 500 GB external hard drive, and a 4.7 GB DVD. Which would you choose and why?

• 32 GB SD card, because it is small.

• 500 GB external hard drive, because it has the most space.

• 4.7 GB DVD, because it is cheap.

• 32 GB SD card, because it is fast.

Answer explanation

The 500 GB external hard drive is the best choice because it offers the most storage space, which is essential for a large video project. The other options are insufficient for storing large video files.