Chapter 8: Measurement Numbers in the Real World

In Memory

1981 - The Commodore VIC-20 was introduced.  It included 5K of RAM.  No internal memory storage (ROM) was available.  Memory was stored on cartridges.

1982 - The Texas Instruments TI99/4A had 16K of RAM, 26K of internal ROM, and cartridges with a whopping 76K bytes of memory.

Computers have come a long way.  Consider internal memory storage.  Here is specifications for a "small" hard drive manufactured by Western Digital.
 
 

Stated Memory Capacity	1.2 GB
Formatted Capacity	1281.9 MB
Average Seek Time	10 ms
Buffer Size	64 KB
Transfer Rate - Host	13.3 MB/s
Height	1.0 inch (25.4 mm)
Length	5.75 inches (146.05 mm)
Width	4.0 inches (101.6 mm)
Weight	1.25 pound (.567 kg)

MB stands for megabyte.  What does the prefix mega represent? 
What is the formatted capacity in bytes?    in kilobytes (KB)? 

MM stands for millimeter.  What does the prefix milli stand for? 
What is the height in meters? 

GB means gigabyte.  What does giga mean? 
What is the stated memory capacity in kilobytes?    In megabytes? 

Today, many computers come standard with 32 MB of RAM.  How many TI99/4As would it take to have the same amount of RAM?    How many Vic 20s? 

3.5" floppy diskettes hold 1.2 MB of memory.  How many TI99/4A cartridges would be needed to store the same amount of memory? 

How many kilobytes per minute is the transfer rate? 

What is the conversion factor to change from inches to millimeters?    From pounds to kilograms?