When I've had to explain it, I describe memory as a street with house numbers (which are memory addresses). A house can store either people, or another house n

When I've had to explain it, I describe memory as a street with house numbers (which are memory addresses). A house can store either people, or another house number (for some other address). If you use a person as a house number, it will inflict grievous harm upon that person. If you use a house number as a person, it will blow up some random houses. Very little in the language stops you from doing this, so you have to be careful not to confuse them. Then I describe what an MMU does with a TLB, at which point the eyes glaze over.