The part of the computer that serves as a work area to store a program and its data while the program is running is the Random Access Memory (RAM). RAM is a type of volatile memory that is used to temporarily store data and instructions for the central processing unit (CPU) to access. When a program is executed, it is loaded from storage (such as a hard drive) into RAM, where the CPU can access it and execute the instructions. RAM is also used to store the data that the program is working with. When the program is closed or the computer is shut down, the data stored in RAM is lost, as RAM is volatile memory.