A data buffer is the area of a computer's memory that is intended for temporary storage of information.
Buffer is an English term that is not part of the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) but is frequently used in our language. In electronics , a buffer is a device used to prevent the loading effect (also known as regulation) in a circuit .
The buffer, in this sense, is an operational amplifier that works as a follower and allows current losses to be compensated through the voltage of its power supply.
Buffer in computing
For computing , the data buffer is the memory location of a digital device or computer that is reserved for the temporary storage of information . While the data is in the buffer, it waits to be processed.
This type of buffer has currently become one of the essential elements that all computers have and, consequently, a fundamental part of our daily lives since we use them both for work and for simple leisure. Specifically, the reason that explains the importance of the buffer in these devices is that thanks to it you can perform actions such as listening to various music on speakers, receiving and sending various data through the Internet or acting as a storage mechanism.
Sometimes the former is often confused with the disk cache but, although both can function as their opposite, the latter is characterized because it allows the stored data to be saved and used so that the user's waiting time is reduced.
The buffer is important in streaming.
The streaming
An example of buffering occurs when trying to run audio or video applications directly from the Internet , without downloading them to the computer.
This practice, known as streaming , requires the use of a buffer to reduce the risk of playback being cut off due to bandwidth problems.
Buffer in chemistry
In the area of chemistry , a buffer is a system formed by a weak acid and its conjugate base (or vice versa) that opposes large variations in pH in an aqueous solution.
A chemical buffer is also known as one in this aforementioned scientific field that, among other things, is identified because it has its own effective PH range. This, for its part, will be closely related to the balance of the acid that has been used.
Specifically, this characteristic will be obtained through calculation. To do this, in most cases, what is known as the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation will be used. This is based on the acidity constant, the concentration of salt, lactic acid...
There are many types of chemical buffers that exist, such as, for example, acetic acid-acetate anion. And all this without forgetting that in the human body there are other equally significant ones such as phosphate, bicarbonate, amino acids, hemoglobin or proteins.
The term in a GIS
The concept, finally, appears associated with a Geographic Information System ( GIS or, in English, GIS for Geographic Information System ).
In this case, it is the polygon that frames the area of influence that results from taking a certain distance from a point, line or other polygon.