---
tags:
  - memory
  - bits
---

# Basics of main memory

In essence the main memory is just a large storage area for a bunch of binary digits. Each slot for a 0 or 1 is called a bit:

> This is where the running kernal and processes reside - they're just big collections of bits. A CPU is just an operator on memory. It reads its instructions and data from the memory and write back out to the memory. (_How Linux Works: Third Edition_, Brian Ward 2021)