What is the difference between memory and storage?
Basically, the difference between memory and storage on a computer is like comparing what you remember in your brain and what you either write on a piece of paper or store in a computer.
Memory is space that the computer uses to keep things it is currently working on. If you are editing a picture, the copy you are working on is in memory. If you are working on a spreadsheet and entering lots of information, that copy of the spreadsheet you are working on is in memory.
An important thing to remember about memory is that what is there is gone if the power gets turned off. This is the same as the memory in your brain. If/when you die, then everything in your memory is gone. If you were going to tell someone something, but never did, no one will know.
Storage on the computer can be available in several ways. Traditionally it was hard drives, but today could also be SSD drives, flash drives, cloud storage, DVDs, etc. The important part is that it is there whether we have power or not and is normally thought or as long term permanent but really could be something you store only for an hour. It could be damaged and still disappear. Damage to devices, wearing out of devices, external sources of destruction such as magnetic storms or excess heat depending on the device.
It is similar to writing something down as if you die (no I am not thinking lots of us will die soon, but it will happen to all of us at some point), then the information is there that we can access still and know what you were thinking.
It is important when you get a computing device that you have plenty of memory so it can have the stuff you are working on there and available quickly and also to have plenty of storage so you can keep the things you want to keep.
Dwight Watt does computer work for businesses, individuals and organizations and teaches about computers at a college in Northwest Georgia. His website is www.dwightwatt.com. His email address is dwight@ dwightwatt.com.