ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Read-modify-write

Okay, let's imagine you have a big toy box filled with different toys: dolls, cars, balls, blocks and more. Now, let's say you want to take out the car and paint it red.

The read-modify-write process is like doing that, but with computer data instead of toys. When you want to change something in the computer's memory, just like taking out the car, you have to read what's already there FIRST.

So, in the computer's memory, there are a bunch of “1”s and “0”s which tell the computer what to do. You need to read those “1”s and “0”s before you can change them.

Then, you can modify those “1”s and “0”s to make the change you want, like painting the toy car red.

Finally, you need to write the new “1”s and “0”s back to the computer's memory, just like putting the painted car back into the toy box.

So, read-modify-write is like looking at what's already there, changing it, and putting it back where it came from. Just like taking out the car, painting it, and putting it back in the toy box.
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