Bits & Bytes A bit is the smallest amount of memory used to store information. A bit is represented by either a “0” or a “1”. “Bit” is a contraction of the term “binary digit”. A byte consists of any combination of 8 bits. It is the amount of memory it takes to store a single character once that character has been converted to its binary equivalent. ex = 8 bits = 1 byte of memory storage.

Bits & Bytes Relating to electronics and electrical circuits, “0” represents the “off” position of a digital switch, and a “1” represents the “on” position of a digital switch. When a digital switch is “on”, electricity is allowed to pass through a circuit; when a digital switch is “off”, electricity is not allowed to pass through a circuit.

Byte Conversions Smallest Unit of Memory b1 Bit 1 byteB1 x 8 = 8 Bits 1 KilobyteKB1 x 1,024 = 1,024 bytes 1 MegabyteMB1,024 x 1,024 = 1,048,576 bytes 1 GigabyteGB1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024 = 1,073,741,824 bytes 1 TerabyteTB1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024 x 1,024 = 1.10 x bytes