geheugenkern

A geheugenkern, also known as a memory core, is a type of non-volatile memory used in early computers. It was developed by Jay Forrester at MIT in the late 1940s and was one of the first forms of random-access memory (RAM). Memory cores are made of a small ferrite toroid, which can be magnetized in one of two directions to represent a binary 0 or 1. This makes them non-volatile, meaning they retain their state even when power is removed.

The basic structure of a memory core consists of a doughnut-shaped ferrite ring with a wire wound around it. The wire is used to magnetize the core in one of two directions. Memory cores are arranged in a grid, with each core representing a bit of data. To read or write data, a set of wires is used to select the desired core and apply the appropriate current to set its state.

Memory cores were widely used in mainframe computers and minicomputers in the 1950s and 1960s. They were eventually replaced by more advanced memory technologies such as semiconductor RAM and magnetic core memory, which offered better performance and lower cost. Despite their obsolescence, memory cores are still studied and used in some specialized applications today.