How many bits are there in one byte?
Think about the smallest group of bits that computers use to represent a character.
A byte is made up of exactly 8 bits. This is a standard size used in most computer systems to represent data.
What decimal number does the 8-bit binary number 00010110 represent?
Start from the rightmost bit and add powers of 2 where the bit is 1.
The binary number 00010110 has bits set at positions 4, 2, and 1 (counting from 0 on the right). Adding 16 + 4 + 2 = 22.
Which of the following is the smallest unit of data in a computer?
It can only be 0 or 1.
A bit is the smallest unit of data and can have a value of either 0 or 1.
Which data size is larger?
1 kilobyte (KB) or 1 megabit (Mb)?
Remember: 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 KB = 1024 bytes, 1 Mb = 1,000,000 bits.
1 KB = 1024 bytes = 8192 bits. 1 Mb = 1,000,000 bits. Since 1,000,000 bits > 8192 bits, 1 Mb is larger.
You want to store a text file with 500 characters. Each character uses 1 byte. How many bits of storage do you need?
Multiply the number of characters by bytes per character, then convert bytes to bits.
500 characters × 1 byte/character = 500 bytes. 500 bytes × 8 bits/byte = 4000 bits.