memory element
memory element A device that stores one item of information: if it has q stable states it is said to be q-ary, and if q = 2 it is said to be binary. It is usually implemented electronically, sometimes with the assistance of the magnetic, optical, or acoustic properties of a storage medium. In practice, most memory elements are binary. In fast computer circuitry, the flip-flop is the most common type of memory element.
Memory elements are employed specifically in computer memories and generally in sequential circuits. A memory element is any smallest part of such a system that possesses more than one stable state. For example, a binary shift register contains four flip-flops and has 16 states, but each of its four memory elements has only two states; a similar ternary shift register would have 81 states, but would still consist of four memory elements, each having three states.
Memory elements are employed specifically in computer memories and generally in sequential circuits. A memory element is any smallest part of such a system that possesses more than one stable state. For example, a binary shift register contains four flip-flops and has 16 states, but each of its four memory elements has only two states; a similar ternary shift register would have 81 states, but would still consist of four memory elements, each having three states.
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memory element