Arrange the following devices in ascending order of the speed:
A. RAM
B. Hard disk
C. Cache
D. Floppy

Correct option is C

The devices arranged in ascending order of speed are Floppy < Hard Disk < RAM < Cache. Floppy disks are the slowest storage medium, followed by hard disks. RAM is faster than both, while cache memory, located closer to the CPU, is the fastest.
Important Key Points:
1. Floppy Disks: Outdated and extremely slow, with read/write speeds of ~(250 Kbps to 1 Mbps).
2. Hard Disks: Relatively faster, offering speeds up to (50 MBps to 150 MBps) for HDDs.
3. RAM: Offers speeds in the range of 10–20 GBps, used for temporary data storage during processing.
4. Cache Memory: Operates at CPU speed, reaching 50–100 GBps, used for immediate instructions.
5. Hierarchy: Faster devices are closer to the CPU, minimizing latency.
Knowledge Booster:
· Floppy Disk Legacy: Once used for data transfer, now obsolete.
· RAM: Volatile memory; data is lost when power is off.
· Cache Levels: Modern CPUs have L1, L2, and L3 cache, each with varying speed and size.
· Storage Evolution: SSDs have replaced HDDs for faster performance.