What term describes the smallest physical storage unit that can be read or written in a NAND flash solid-state drive, typically sized between 4 KB and 16 KB?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. Page
- Step 1: NAND flash memory operates under an asymmetrical read/write/erase constraint.
- Step 2: In NAND flash, reads and program (write) operations occur at the fine granularity of a 'page' (4 to 16 KB), but data cannot be overwritten until an entire 'block' (consisting of many pages) is erased simultaneously.
Answer
Page
Why not the others: 'Block' A block is a much larger collection of pages (typically 128 to 512 pages) and represents the smallest unit that can be erased in NAND flash; 'Sector' A sector is the traditional 512-byte or 4 KB physical unit of mechanical magnetic disks, not raw NAND flash; 'Cell' A cell is the single microscopic floating-gate or charge-trap transistor storing 1 to 4 bits (SLC, MLC, TLC, QLC).
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