What is the primary purpose of virtual memory in a computer system?

The correct answer is To extend RAM capacity by using disk space.

Key Points

• Virtual memory allows a computer system to use disk space to simulate additional RAM, enabling larger applications to run even with limited physical memory.
• It provides the ability to run multiple programs simultaneously by swapping inactive data from RAM to disk storage.
• This mechanism ensures that critical processes have access to memory, improving system performance under heavy workloads.
• Virtual memory is managed by the operating system using a combination of hardware and software mechanisms, such as paging and segmentation.
• It creates an abstraction for users, making the system appear to have more memory than is physically available.

Additional Information

• Paging: A memory management scheme that stores and retrieves data from secondary storage in fixed-size blocks called pages. It is key to implementing virtual memory.
• Thrashing: A condition where excessive paging occurs, leading to a significant drop in system performance due to frequent swapping between RAM and disk.
• Swap Space: A dedicated portion of a storage device used as an extension of RAM for virtual memory operations.
• Segmentation: A memory management technique that divides a program into variable-sized segments, helping manage virtual memory efficiently.
• Benefits of Virtual Memory: Facilitates multitasking, runs larger applications, isolates processes for security, and provides an abstraction layer for developers.