RAM - Random Access Memory is a collection of memory chips, which function as the computer's primary workspace. In today's computer, 64MB (64 megabytes) of SDRAM is a minimum for a desktop computer.
The "random" in RAM means that the contents of each byte of storage in the chip can be accessed directly without accessing the bytes before or after it. RAM chips require power to maintain their content that is why the data must be saved to disk before turning off the computer.
All data processing and program execution takes place in memory. The data is copied into memory from storage devices or from the network and then moved from memory into the processor for analysis and execution. The instructions from the input device direct the computer to input data into memory. Once the data is in memory, it is processed such as calculated, compared, and copied. Then the results are sent to an out put device.
