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What is virtual memory and how does it help a computer run programs?

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A laptop computer — personal computer Programmers may use computer science to design portable computers such as laptops.

Virtual memory is a system that allows a computer to provide programs with a large, contiguous address space that may exceed the actual physical RAM installed in the machine.12

It functions by using a section of the hard disk as an extension of the computer's main memory. The operating system manages this process by dividing a program's code and data into blocks—often called pages or segments—and automatically swapping them between the hard disk and the RAM as needed.312

This technology helps a computer run programs efficiently in several ways:
* Increased Capacity: It gives applications the illusion of having access to more memory than is physically present, allowing them to run larger or multiple programs simultaneously.124
* Resource Management: By keeping only the necessary parts of a program in active RAM and storing the rest on disk, the system optimizes memory usage.12
* Simplified Programming: It provides developers with a consistent, contiguous memory space, hiding the complexity of how data is actually stored across different hardware components.24