If you don't know what RAM is, I'm sure you have at least heard it in conversation, and if you're anything like my fiancée, you likely switched your brain off immediately. I'll try to explain what it is as simply as I can.
Firstly, RAM stands for Random Access Memory, although I'm sure that didn't help much. Computers have several different memory devices built in, each for a different purpose. The most well known being a hard drive. Hard drives keep a hold of data until deleted or overwritten, it holds all your files (documents, photos, videos, operating system (Windows)).
RAM has a different purpose. When you load up any program such as an internet browser, a game, the calculator, whatever; the program gets loaded into the RAM until it is closed. The bigger the program, the more RAM it takes up. If you have an 8 year old computer with 512MB of RAM (That's 0.5GB), you definitely will not be able to play one of the new games out today. Games these days require anything from 1GB to 4GB of RAM. Some games even require more if you want to play on high quality settings.
Depending on your current understanding of computers you may have already shut down. But don't worry about all that mumbo-jumbo, just remember that more RAM is better, and that it's temporary storage for running programs. Also note that when the computer shuts down, RAM is completely cleared, as opposed to hard drives, CDs, DVDs, etc.
I hope this helped, I will probably post a more in-depth article about storage media and memory.
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