What does virtual memory do in relation to RAM?

Virtual memory acts as additional RAM by utilizing disk space when the physical RAM is insufficient to handle the tasks at hand. It allows the operating system to extend the available memory beyond what is physically installed by temporarily transferring data from RAM to a reserved space on the hard drive known as the page file or swap space. This means that even if the actual RAM is full, the system can still accommodate larger applications or more processes by swapping data in and out of RAM as needed.

This process effectively allows users to run more applications simultaneously or handle larger tasks than would otherwise be possible with only the physical RAM. However, it is worth noting that accessing data stored in virtual memory can be slower than accessing data in RAM, as it involves reading from the hard drive. Nonetheless, this mechanism is crucial for efficient multitasking and overall system performance.