Generally speaking, most of the confusion in computer terminology is the concern of large-scale systems, and of individuals who work with computers and information technology professionally. By the time we reach the highest named quantities of memory currently in use at the industrial or scientific level today, this confusion translates into a difference in capacity of up to 20%. Within a computer system, a different set of prefixes refers to 1,024 of the preceding unit, instead of one thousand, but commercial-level production has normalized the use of metric measurements for these units, meaning that a “megabyte” may refer either to 1,000 or 1024 kilobytes, and a kilobyte may refer to 1,000 or 1,024 bytes. The prefixes “kilo,” “mega” and “giga” are metric prefixes which relate to multiples of one thousand each, but computer system memory is organized into a binary structure based on powers of 2. There are a variety of standard prefixes used for bits and bytes, which is where much of the confusion lies, as efforts to make standardization uniform across the international computer industry have yet to be entirely successful. When abbreviated, the “B” is capitalized, so as to set it apart from its smaller relative “Gb” is short for “gigabit,” and “GB” is short for “gigabyte.” Larger Units of Computer Memory At the time, it was more closely related to “bit ” its name is a deliberate misspelling of “bite” in order to avoid accidental confusion. The byte was first named in 1956, during the design of the IBM Stretch computer. The term doesn’t refer to “eight bits” in a loose, simply mathematical sense, but to a specific set of eight bits which operate as a cohesive unit within a computer system. Related resource: 30 Most Affordable Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Computer Science 2017 What is a Byte?Ī byte represents eight bits, and is the most commonly used term relating to the amount of information stored within a computer’s memory. The abbreviation “Mbps” is one of the most commonly misinterpreted in all of modern computing: it refers to “megabits,” not “megabytes,” per second. Alternately, and more commonly in modern connotations, bits (and their successively larger relatives, such as kilobits, megabits and gigabits) are used to measure rates of data transfer. There are eight bits in one byte of information. It reflects the basic logical process of a transistor: a single unit of information reflecting a zero (no charge) or a one (a completed, charged circuit). So, what is the difference between a bit and a byte? What is a Bit?īy its simplest definition, a bit is just a smaller unit of information than a byte. In this case, the subject at hand is units of information stored within a computer system’s memory, or in transit within a system. ![]() The difference between a bit and a byte is one such case, wherein similar terms have meanings that don’t correlate exactly bits, in particular, have more than one definition, reflecting the different ways in which computer data is measured. ![]() ![]() ![]() Their divergent meanings can result in a lot of confusion when, for example, they appear in news articles, often with incorrect meanings attached. Modern computing makes use of a diverse array of terms and definitions that don’t appear in other contexts, some of which sound remarkably similar to the untrained ear.
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