Become a Marketplace Partner

internet.commerce Be a Commerce Partner

internet.com IT Developer Internet News Small Business Personal Technology Search internet.com Advertise Corporate Info Newsletters Tech Jobs E-mail Offers

physical Last modified: Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Refers to anything pertaining to hardware. The opposite of physical is logical or virtual, which describe software objects. For example, physical memory refers to the actual RAM chips installed in a computer. Virtual memory, on the other hand, is an imaginary storage area used by programs. A physical data structure refers to the actual organization of data on a storage device. The logical data structure refers to how the information appears to a program or user. For example, a data file is a collection of information stored together. This is its logical structure. Physically, however, a file could be stored on a disk in several scattered pieces.
	Related Categories Computer Science Virtualization Related Terms fragmentation hardware logical logical topology physical topology software virtual memory Shopping physical Products Compare Products,Prices and Stores Shop by Category: Sport and Outdoor 5706 Store Offers Clothing 1136 Store Offers Personal Care 619 Store Offers Books 1645 Model Matches Wireless Access Points 18 Model Matches