system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why does ram need a voltage source to store information while flash drives don't? 

more specifically, how does ram memory work and how does flash drive memory work?
gpt
RAM stores data either in meta-stable circuits such as flip-flops (SRAM) or with capacitors (DRAM). In either case turning off the power to the ram will cause the recorded state in the RAM to either die immediately (SRAM) or degrade over a short period of time (DRAM). DRAM requires routine upkeep to maintain the capacitors' charge levels, of course if you cool DRAM to very low temperatures then the charge will degrade slower, making it possible to pull the ram and read the state with other equipment (you may have heard of this technique).

Flash RAM uses a "floating gate transistor" to create a kind of capacitor that degrades extremely slowly, making it suitable for long term storage.