Bits, bytes, kB and KiB
Bit, nibble, byte and word; how many values n bits can code; decimal against binary prefixes; rates in bit/s against sizes in bytes; orders of magnitude of common sizes.
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- 6 topics
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Bit: what is it?
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The smallest quantity of information: a digit that can only be 0 or 1.
n bits tell 2ⁿ values apart. One bit answers a yes-or-no question; it takes 8 for an extended ASCII letter, 24 for a colour.
How many bytes are there in 1 KiB?
- 1,024
- 1,000
- 1,048
- 8,192
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1,024
KiB is a binary prefix: 2¹⁰ = 1,024. 1,000 bytes make 1 kB. 8,192 is the number of bits in 1 KiB (1,024 × 8).
On n bits, you can code … distinct values; a … is 4 bits.
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On n bits, you can code 2ⁿ distinct values; a nibble is 4 bits.
Each added bit doubles the number of patterns: 8 bits give 256, 10 bits give 1,024, 16 bits give 65,536.
Byte: what is it?
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A group of 8 bits, the smallest unit of memory that can be addressed: it tells 256 values apart.
A byte is written with two hexadecimal digits (00 to FF). Half a byte, 4 bits, is called a nibble. Careful: the symbol is B in English, and a lowercase b means bit.